Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
LAS VEGAS — Cole Bajema went scorched earth in the desert Wednesday night.
Late in the first half, the graduate senior hit three 3-pointers in a row — one from the top of the key and two from the corner — to help put distance on Arizona State amid a 15-2 run in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament.
It was the capstone to a total dominating effort in the first half by the Utes over a lower-seeded Sun Devils team looking for an end to the season.
Utah built up a 28-point first-half lead on 70% shooting from the field and seven made 3-pointers, and dictated the terms of the game that it never trailed in. The Runnin' Utes went on to win 90-57, sending the Sun Devils (14-18, 8-13 Pac-12) home packing to closeout the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament.
"It was ugly out there, for sure. ... This is not acceptable for what my vision is of our basketball program," Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley said. "We're not in a good place right now, and it's a terrible way to end it — and gotta get back to the drawing board."
With the win, Utah (19-13, 10-11 Pac-12) will now play third-seeded Colorado Thursday (9:30 p.m. MDT, Pac-12 Networks) in the final game of the second round of the tournament.
"Obviously, the way we shot the three, I just thought we played super connected and just made really simple plays and the right play," Utah head coach Craig Smith said, speaking to his team making 12 shots from behind the arc. "Basketball, it's not rocket science out there, right? And with their pressure and deny, you've just got to hit the first open man and trust each other. It really helps when you see the ball go through the hole."
It was as simple as that. Utah got shots to fall from behind the perimeter early as the team spread the ball around in what Smith described as "connected" play; and once the shots started to fall at a high rate, it was relatively easy for the team to get into a rhythm on the night and build up a quick lead.
"We trusted each other, we trusted each other's work," senior guard Deivon Smith said. "We had the confidence to pass the ball to whoever it was that was putting the shot up, and tonight it showed. We shot the ball pretty well and everybody was together. That's what we need to advance."
"It definitely helps to see the ball go in your first shot of the game or whatever it is," Bajema added. "Kind of gets your confidence going. But credit to my teammates, especially Deivon. ... That's what we've got to keep doing tomorrow. It's definitely good, but I've got more work to do."
For the most part, Utah did it without the service of the team's leading scorer in Branden Carlson, who played just 19 minutes with a large sleeve over his left elbow after sustaining an injury in the final game of the regular season. Carlson, though, contributed to the 3-pointer tally, giving the Utes their first of the night and finishing with two triples for 7 points.
Utah's win was a collaborative effort, though, with eight players finishing with more than 7 points, including a near triple-double effort from Deivon Smith, who finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists before being subbed out of the game with 6:20 left to play.
Bajema finished with six made 3-pointers on nine attempts to give him a career-high 22 points and three rebounds in the win. Hunter Erickson, who got hot early from deep, added three 3-pointers of his own to finish with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting.
"I give credit to Utah," Hurley said. "They showed the type of postseason desperation that you need to have, and they have really good shooting. We had a hard time dealing with their 3-point shooting."
The Sun Devils — who were without their second-leading scorer, Jose Perez, after he decided to play international ball before the season concluded — shot 31% from the field and were led in scoring by Frankie Collins, who finished with 20 points on 8-of-21 shooting.
Collins was one of only two players for the Sun Devils to score in double figures; Kamari Lands added 11 points on 4-of-111 shooting, three rebounds and one assist in the loss.
"I thought it was a great team effort," Craig Smith said. "I thought all the guys that stepped on the floor really played well. ... A great team win. Just like every team here, they're trying to cut down the nets. In order to do that you've got to win the first game, and we were able to take care of business tonight."
