This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The last time Montana State left the Huntsman Center in 2011, they did so with a 70-64 win.
Utah's then-new head coach Larry Krystkowiak had a 1-2 record at his new school, with a significant rebuilding job and plenty more losses ahead.
While he has often referenced "the early days" when talking about his squad this year that includes a dozen newcomers, this team is not that team, as demonstrated in a 92-84 Utah win that gave Krystkowiak his 100th victory at the helm of the program.
The Utes (5-1) bounced back from a disappointing showing against Butler on Monday, beating the Bobcats off the dribble, dominating them on the boards, and showing a chemistry that had been absent three days before.
An otherwise unremarkable non-conference game was not only consecrated by Krystkowiak's milestone, but by the pursuit of a feat no Ute had accomplished since 1999: a triple-double.
It was junior Kyle Kuzma who came as close as one can come without meeting the criteria, passing out of the post with the eye of a point guard. He owned the boards first, finishing with 15 rebounds, then overcame a cold shooting night (4 for 8) with shots at the free throw line (8 for 12) to creep into double-digit points (16). He was only one assist short, unable to find a teammate who could finish in the final minutes of the game.
Six Utes finished in double digits, led by Devon Daniels' 18 points.
The Utes struck out to a decidedly different start from their previous game.
While only one player scored in the first eight minutes against Butler, six Utes scored in the same timeframe against Montana State. While Utah got only four assists against Butler, the team totaled 10 dishes on their first 15 baskets.
Utah bullied Montana State on the glass and in the paint, taking advantage of a team with only two players over 6-foot-7 who played significant minutes. Before the Bobcats had grabbed their second rebound of the evening, the Utes had 15.
But it wasn't just the big men who exposed Montana State inside: Daniels and Zamora slashed their way in for points with assertiveness that didn't necessarily serve them well against the Bulldogs.
Utah went into halftime on an exclamation point: Bonam picked the pocket of MSU leading scorer Tyler Hall and ran it back for a transition dunk before the buzzer for a 12-point lead at the break.
Twitter: @kylegoon