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SALT LAKE CITY — Cal went with a steady diet of Crabbe when it faced off with the Runnin' Utes on Thursday night at the Jon M. Huntsman Center, and there was little Utah was able to do about it.
Allen Crabbe came into the matchup as the leading scorer in the Pac-12 conference, averaging 19.8 points per game. The junior guard didn't disappoint, putting up 23 points with five rebounds to lead the Golden Bears to a 62-57 victory.
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"I thought Crabbe played really well for them tonight," said Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak. "And we were just not as locked in defensively as we have been the last few games."
Utah led 11-6 in the early going — until Crabbe went to work. After freshman guard Tyrone Wallace knocked down a 3-pointer to tie the game at 11, Crabbe scored the next eight consecutive points to give Cal a 19-11 lead, 11 minutes into the first half.
That lead stretched to as many as 15 points in the second half, as the Bears maintained control for much of the game until late when the Utes made one last desperate attempt to rally for the win.
Freshman forward Jordan Loveridge converted an inbounds pass for an easy layup to snip the deficit to seven, 57-50, with 1:59 remaining on the clock.
A minute later, senior center Jason Washburn stepped beyond the arc to hit a big 3-point shot to bring the Utes within three, 58-55.
Utah even managed to get a stop on its subsequent defensive possession, but Cal forward David Kravish grabbed his own rebound, forcing the Utes to foul. Crabbe sunk both freebies, putting the game out of reach for good.
Wallace added 12 points, eight assists and four rebounds in the Cal (11-7, 3-3) victory. The Bears now head to Boulder, Colo., to face Colorado on Sunday.
Four Utes scored in double figures, led by Washburn's 14 points and seven rebounds. Loveridge scored 12 points with nine boards, while junior guard Glen Dean and freshman guard Brandon Taylor each contributed 10 points.
Utah shot a slightly better field goal percentage than Cal (42.6 percent to 41.1), while also outrebounding the Bears, 36-31.
But the key detriment in Utah's pursuit of back-to-back Pac 12 wins was turnovers. The Utes gave the ball away 17 times — 15 in the first half alone — resulting in 17 Cal points.
"We were just not mentally strong tonight," Krystkowiak said. "We threw the ball to them on way too many occasions and that took the wind out of our sails right away.
"We had a better mindset in the second half and only committed two turnovers, but we were floating on offense. It seemed we were just going through the motions."
"It was unacceptable tonight," Taylor said. "I blame myself for not showing enough poise on the court. The lack of focus is what really led to the turnovers we committed in the first half. We were throwing the ball all over the place."
The Utes still haven't earned a conference win in their home gym this season, but will have another chance to do so Sunday night when they host Stanford (11-8, 2-4). The Cardinal is fresh off a 75-54 beating at Colorado on Thursday night.
That Sunday matchup gets started at 7 p.m. and will be televised on the Pac-12 Network and broadcast on the radio at 700 AM.
"Tonight was humbling, and we were not as productive as we were in Seattle," Krystkowiak said, referencing Utah's 74-65 road win at Washington last weekend. "That night we were clicking offensively, but tonight, there was no crispness. There was intensity, but we were not doing things we have been doing, like cutting hard. It is natural stuff, but we have to play harder offensively."
"I think it just goes with the process and there are going to be nights like this," said Taylor. "We have had games before where we threw it all over the gym but we knew what we had to do. I believe we will clean it up here and come out on Sunday ready to rock."
Tyson Maddy has covered the University of Utah football and men's basketball teams as a contributing writer for KSL.com Sports since 2011. Follow his Utes coverage on twitter @Tyson_Maddy
