Field Level Media
Dec 18, 2020
Timmy Allen scored 22 points and collected six rebounds to lead Utah to a 79-41 victory over Idaho on Friday night in Salt Lake City.
Pelle Larsson added 15 points and Lahat Thioune chipped in a team-high nine rebounds for the Utes.
Utah (4-1) quickly ran away from the Vandals behind stifling defense. The Utes forced 22 turnovers and never let Idaho establish any sort of offensive rhythm over 40 minutes.
Scott Blakney scored 13 points to lead the Vandals (0-5), who shot just 28.1 percent from the field. Damen Thacker added 10 points. Idaho, which has played all of its games on the road, dropped its second contest against a Pac-12 opponent.
Idaho struggled right away to get on track on offense. The Vandals missed 13 of their first 15 shots and shot just 24.1 percent from the field in the first half -- including 2 of 13 from 3-point range. Utah shot 46.9 percent from the field before halftime.
The Vandals endured a six-minute scoring drought after taking a 3-2 lead on Gabe Quinnett's 3-pointer. The Utes took full advantage of the extended drought.
Allen made a pair of 3-point baskets that ignited a 17-3 run and then capped the run with a three-point play that gave Utah a 19-6 lead. Once the Utes got cooking on offense, they did not cool off before halftime.
Four straight baskets from Ian Martinez, Jaxon Brenchley and Allen capped a 17-4 run that extended Utah's lead to 40-16 going into halftime. Idaho scored a single basket over a six-minute stretch to open the door for the lengthy spurt.
The Utes led by as many as 43 points in the second half, going up 68-25 on Alfonso Plummer's 3-pointer with 8:31 remaining.
--Field Level Media