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Corvallis, Ore. • They knew going in: Keep eyes on Stephen Thompson.
He was the guy who beat the Utes last year at the free throw line. Only last month, he helped engineer a sneaky comeback attempt, scoring 30 points.
The Utes may have kept their eyes on Thompson, but they had a harder time defending him in a 68-67 loss at Oregon State. Almost single-handedly with 31 points, the sophomore guard guided his team back from a 10-point deficit with five minutes remaining to clinch a victory — perhaps this one more unlikely than the last.
"It means a lot for us," he said. "It does a lot for our confidence."
Utah's own confidence was shattered in the process.
More than once in the final minutes, the Utes were unable to track Thompson. That included a wide-open 3-pointer from the wing with 1:37 left, which cut Utah's four-point lead to one, in which Devon Daniels switched off of him to guard a cutter. Thompson, who hit 5 for 9 from deep on Sunday night, drilled the shot.
Coach Larry Krystkowiak said the team switched into the wrong scheme on Thompson's penultimate basket. Moments after Kyle Kuzma knocked down a 3-pointer, the Utes allowed Thompson to lay in a bucket with 27 seconds left, cutting a three-point lead to one.
While Thompson, who has averaged nearly 21 points per game in four career meetings with Utah, hit other tough shots, Krystkowiak resented that Utah had failed to keep a lid on him late.
"It's the best player on their team, who we've identified we need to know where he was," he said. "That's one that it's hard to live through."
Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said he saw a breakthrough he had been waiting for from Thompson.
"We've been talking to Stevie about exploding to the basket and instead of trying to look to create contact," he said. "He had a couple of his best finishes going to the rim tonight."
Kuzma returns
After sitting out Thursday, Kuzma made a return to action Sunday from a right ankle sprain. The junior didn't show that many ill effects, scoring a team-best 19 points and notching nine rebounds.
It didn't take him long to get back in action either, logging 10 points, five rebounds and three assists by halftime.
However, Kuzma did look rusty when it came to taking care of the ball. He accounted for seven of Utah's 17 turnovers, including three travels and one instance of three seconds in the key. He and David Collette, who fouled out, shot 14 for 25, but accounted for 11 turnovers combined.
Twitter: @kylegoon