Strong 2nd half helps Utah snap 4-game skid with win over Stanford

SALT LAKE CITY — No stranger to strong opening statements, the University of Utah men's basketball team flipped around its game plan to snap a four-game losing streak en route to its second win in Pac-12 play.

Clinging to a 9-point lead at halftime, Utah (5-5, 2-4 Pac-12) opened the second half with a 7-3 run and never looked back en route to a 79-65 win Thursday afternoon over Stanford in the Jon M. Huntsman Center.

Timmy Allen had 22 points, five assists and eight rebounds to lead the Runnin' Utes, and Alfonso Plummer added 16 points off the bench. Mikael Jantunen added 11 points and seven rebounds, and Branden Carlson supplied 12 points and four blocks for the Utes, who shot 56% from the field in the second half and outrebounded the Cardinal 37-26 to secure the win.

Ziaire Williams had 17 points, four rebounds, a block and a steal for Stanford (8-4, 4-2 Pac-12), which entered the game on a three-game winning streak and with seven victories in seven of the Cardinal's last eight games.

But the Utes held the visitors from the Bay Area to 35.4% shooting, doubled the Cardinal up in the paint 34-16, and limited them to 4 second-chance points on six offensive rebounds.

Stanford shot 9 of 18 from 3-point range, but just 8 of 30 from inside the arc. Oscar da Silva was held to just 11 points and two rebounds — or roughly half his scoring average. Daejon Davis, in his first game back after missing five with an injury, had a season-high 19 points to become the 49th player for the Cardinal (8-4, 4-2) to reach 1,000 career points.

The Cardinal just couldn't get enough of it.

Utah continues Pac-12 play Saturday hosting Cal. Tipoff against the Bears is scheduled for 8 p.m. MT on ESPNU.

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