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SEATTLE — There's cold, and then there's Alaskan glacier cold.
The Runnin' Utes were so cold Wednesday night, you would think they had found themselves playing in the Arctic highlands of Alaska rather than Alaskan Airlines Arena.
Behind its worst shooting game of the season, Utah (12-3, 1-2) fell 59-57 at Washington (10-6, 2-1).
Long-range woes
After struggling from beyond the arc against Oregon last week, the Utes bounced back with a solid shooting night against Oregon State.
But their long-range issues were back in full force at Washington. The Utes didn't sink a 3-point shot until 39:46 had come and gone from the clock. They finished 1-for-15 on the night, including Delon Wright's potential game-winner that fell short as time expired.
Despite shooting just 26 percent and going 0-for-9 from downtown in the first half, Utah hung around with just a 26-21 deficit going into the half. The Utes were able to generate more offense in the second half, but making just one 3-pointer total is never going to be enough to beat a Pac-12 team.
Not-so-happy birthday
Last season, Brandon Taylor had his coming out party in Seattle. He scored 19 points to lead the Utes to a win over the Huskies in his first game playing major minutes.
This season, the sophomore hoped for a repeat performance, with this year's meeting landing on his birthday.
But Taylor's party was crashed by Andrew Andrews and C.J. Wilcox, who led Washington with 19 and 14 points, respectively. Taylor managed just four points, two rebounds and an assist this time around, shooting a lousy 2-for-11 and 0-for-5 from 3-point range.
Can't only be Wright
The one positive for the Utes was the phenomenal performance of Delon Wright. He scored a game-high 27 points with 11 rebounds and three steals. He often got to the basket at will in the second half, and just about willed the Utes to victory single-handedly.
Clearly, though, one man can't do everything in the Pac-12. Others need to step up and help carry the load down the stretch, but Wright didn't get enough help to lead Utah to the win.
Next up: The Utes fly back to Utah before returning to the state of Washington on Saturday. They will face Washington State (7-8, 0-3) on Sunday at 5 p.m. in Pullman. The Cougars took No. 15 Colorado into overtime Wednesday night, but fell by one point. 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
