Same problems, different night: Road woes continue as Runnin' Utes fall 98-73 to Huskies

SEATTLE — The same problems that have plagued Utah all season on the road surfaced again Saturday night.

Porous defense? Check. Careless turnovers? Check. Allowing too many second-chance opportunities? Check. Poor shooting and scoring slumps? Check. Check. And check.

The list could go on.

It all translated to another road loss for the Utes, who continue to be winless on the road in conference play this season. It's a streak that is now nine straight and dates back to Utah's last road win on Jan. 26, 2023, against Oregon State.

Washington easily built up a double-digit lead in the early minutes of the game, taking a 21-10 lead, and then used that early momentum to continually build upon its lead en route to a 98-73 win at home.

After a lackluster opening stretch, Utah's (14-7, 5-5 Pac-12) Deivon Smith, who returned to action after injuring his ankle Wednesday, went on a personal 7-0 run and cut a once 15-point Washington (12-9, 4-6 Pac-12) lead down to 7 points. But it's the closest the Utes got to being competitive in a game Washington dominated wire-to-wire.

Washington took advantage of Smith going to the bench after picking up his second foul — one personal and another through a technical after draining a corner 3-pointer — and went on a 9-0 run to closeout the half to take a 15-point lead at the halftime break.

The Huskies shot 62% in the opening half, and it didn't get much worse from there as the team shot 57% for the game. Utah's defense gave Washington much of whatever it wanted all night, and the Huskies were happy to make the Utes pay time after time.

For a stretch in the second half, it felt like anything Washington threw at the rim went in — and for the most part it did.

Washington had four players finish the night in double figures, with Keion Brooks Jr. leading all scores with 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting and four rebounds in the win. Paul Mulcahy added 18 points and was at one point 7-of-7 from the field and 2-of-2 from 3-point range before finished 7-of-9.

Moses Wood finished 17 points and seven rebounds, and Sahvir Wheeler added 12 points and 10 assists.

Despite the poor overall play from the team, Smith continued to put up highlight plays throughout the game, including monster dunks, quick cuts to the rim where he split the defense with ease and finished at the rim, dropping 3-pointers, and other athletic plays to give Utah some level of life.

Smith finished the night with team-leading 20 points, three assists and two rebounds on a night when the Utes shot 47% from the field and 42% from the free-throw line. Ben Carlson added 13 points and Cole Bajema finished with 10 points in his return to Seattle.

Utah closed out the game on a 13-3 run, but it was too little, too late.

After looking like an NCAA Tournament-bound team for much of the season, Utah's road woes leave much to be desired — especially in blowout losses like Saturday night.

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