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SALT LAKE CITY — The losing streak is over!
It started with Oregon State and it ends with Oregon State.
The last time Utah won a basketball game was 44 days against Fresno State to closeout nonconference play. It's a streak that lasted 10 straight conference games despite a handful of close contests over that time period.
But on Thursday, Utah was not to be denied of their first win of the new year — even if it had to come in February.
"Well, I like February a lot better than January," Utah head coach Craig Smith said. "We'll start like that, but it's a good one for us. I thought we played really well, really in every phase. I thought we really guarded well and made it very difficult for them."
The Runnin' Utes used a 22-5 run midway through the second half to push their lead to a game-high 26 points and the rest was history for the Utes to beat the visiting Oregon State Beavers 84-59. The win is only Utah's second of the season in conference play.
Freshman Lazar Stefanovic led the way for the Utes (9-14, 2-11 Pac-12) with a game-high 15 points on five made 3-pointers, which was just part of the 15 triples the team made Thursday to finish 43% from behind the arc. Utah finished the night shooting 46% from the field and assisting on 21 of the team's 29 baskets.
"Oh, it's amazing. You know what else is amazing is having a press conference the first time after a win. I can smile now," the freshman said with a big smile on his face. "Jokes aside, I really had a great time tonight; I think the whole team did. We were really happy that we won — finally — and we just played great the whole 40 minutes."
The Utes committed a season-low five turnovers in what Smith described as one the most complete performances from his team this season. And from the time Utah started its losing skid, he said it's easy to see how the team has grown over that period; Thursday was just a visible representation of that change.
That change was most evident in the team's commitment to defense. The Utes held Oregon State to 39% shooting from the field and limited scoring opportunities from Roman Silva and Jarod Lucas, who torched the Utes in the first time the two program's met earlier in the season.
"I thought we had a great mindset defensively. We held them under a point per possession," Smith said. "Like I've said many times: when you do that, you've got a chance to win every single night, and it's been a long time since we've done that. But we've really improved on the defensive end.
"I'm so happy for our guys. I mean, this team has been through a lot."
Four other players for the Utes finished in double figures, including Rollie Worster (13 points), David Jenkins Jr. (13 points), Branden Carlson (12 points), and Both Gach (11 points). Carlson and Gach both finished the game with a double-double, with Carlson adding 10 rebounds and Gach 10 assists in the win.
"Oh, man, it feels great," Gach said. "We haven't won in a long time, so for us we just keep fighting, keep working hard, and we stayed the course. This team, we easily could have easily let down, gave up, but we didn't. We just kept on working. Great things happen when you work hard, and we ended up with a win, so it feels good."
The Beavers (3-16, 1-8 Pac-12) cut a double-digit halftime deficit to 8 points before Utah went on its long run that cemented the result. The run included several possessions where the Utes got multiple offensive rebounds to keep their chances alive. It was then where Oregon State conceded the game and waited out the game clock.
Oregon State's already limited chances of a comeback were severely hampered when starting center Roman Silva picked up his fourth foul with 15:18 left in the game, forcing the Beavers to sit their big for a majority of the second half. By the time he checked into the game, the damage was already done.
The Beavers were led in scoring by Silva and Lucas, who each had 12 points in the loss. Maurice Calloo added 11 points and five rebounds for the Beavers.
Utah returns to the Huntsman Center Saturday (6:30 p.m. MST, Pac-12 Networks) as the team welcomes a surging Oregon program.
