Deivon Smith records 3rd triple-double as Runnin' Utes blowout Cardinal at home

SALT LAKE CITY — With fading hopes of an NCAA Tournament berth after a rough February slate, Utah men's basketball was in need of any win it could get coming down the final stretch of the regular season.

That made Utah's game Thursday night against Stanford of vital importance — especially with ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi giving Utah a glimmer of hope as one of his final bubble teams in his latest projections.

Utah got the message.

The Runnin' Utes opened up the game on a 7-0 run, built up a double-digit lead, and then used a 19-2 run late in the first half to put some distance between them and the visiting Cardinal without starter Spencer Jones in the lineup.

It all amounted to a wire-to-wire 90-68 win over Stanford in the penultimate home game of the regular season for Utah.

"I thought we played very connected on both ends of the floor," Utah head coach Craig Smith said. "Had a great voice, trusted each other, made the extra pass on the offensive end, and it was everybody. Obviously, we had some great individual performances, but that stuff happens when you play connected and you trust one another and make things difficult."

The Cardinal shot 39% in the first half, but got shots to fall at a higher clip in the second half. Utah, though, mostly answered back to whatever Stanford threw at them and kept the lead for much of the second half above 15 points after building up a game-high 24-point lead.

Cole Bajema had, arguably, his best game in a Utah uniform, giving the Runnin' Utes a much-needed threat from behind the 3-point line. The graduate senior finished with a team-high 21 points, including 5-of-6 from 3-point range, and four rebounds.

"I'm proud of Cole," Smith said. "I thought he played really well today — played the whole second half, as did Gabe. Got that three to go in early. Sometimes when you're a shooter like that, when you see the ball go in early — I think he made two pretty quickly in that game — it can get you kind of going and you really feel part of the game."

And though Bajema was the sharpshooter from deep, senior guard Deivon Smith brought out the highlight plays in the final minutes of the game. Late in the second half, Smith made a run to the rim, and put the opposing Stanford defender on a poster with a monstrous dunk that sent the Huntsman Center crowd into pandemonium.

"He saw the lane parting," Bajema said, with a laugh.

"Really, it was so much space in that lane," Smith said. "I really didn't expect him to jump, honestly. I didn't expect it, but I finished through the contact. I got a poster. Hopefully we can do something with that."

Two possessions later, Smith picked off a pass and went the distance for another monster dunk.

To top off the highlight-reel dunks, Smith recorded his third triple-double of the season, finishing with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. The Huntsman Center crowd collectively understood the moment, and when Smith sent a pass to a wide open Ben Carlson for a deep 3-pointer that was good, they jumped to their feet to celebrate.

"It's feels good; it's a great feeling," Deivon Smith said. "It wouldn't happen without my teammates knocking down shots, of course, and us playing connected, but it's a great feeling. I'm not really chasing it; it's kind of happening naturally. So it's a real good feeling."

Lawson Lovering, who provided great minutes for the Utes off the bench, finished with 17 points and five rebounds, and Gabe Madsen added 15 points, four rebounds and three assists.

Stanford had four players score in double figures in the loss, with Michael Jones finishing with a team-high 20 points. Andrej Stojakovic added 13 points and six rebounds, and Kanaan Carlyle and Maxime Raynaud each finished with 10 points apiece.

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