This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The improvement was all over the floor, in the Utes' blistering 60 percent field goal shooting, in 10 players scoring and in Josh Watkins' seven-to-three assist-to-turnover ratio.

The result, though, remained the same Friday.

The Utah men's basketball team lost 89-75 to Massachusetts at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas. The Utes have lost their two games in the eight-team tournament.

The 1-4 Utes will play North Carolina-Asheville Saturday in their final game of the three-day tournament.

"We need to capture some energy tomorrow and come out and give ourselves an opportunity to leave the Bahamas with a victory under our belt," first-year coach Larry Krystkowiak said on the ESPN 700 postgame radio show. "It won't be easy, but it's a team I hope we can compete against."

Utah is off to its worst start to a season since 1988, when the Utes began 1-5 en route to a 16-17 season.

Against UMass, Watkins led the Utes with 16 points, while Kareem Storey added 12 and Jason Washburn scored 11.

Unlike their first three losses, the Utes avoided a sluggish start. They leapt out to an 8-3 lead against the Minutemen, but struggled with UMass's full-court press, finishing with 19 turnovers.

UMass pulled away thanks to 31 points off of Utah turnovers and 15 3-pointers, including five from guard Jesse Morgan.

Morgan led the Minutemen with 15 points.

Leading 8-3, the Utes turned the ball over on three straight possessions, each time trying to break the press in the backcourt. Twice, the result was a dunk by UMass center Sean Carter.

The Utes were resilient, however, and led until the midway point of the first when the Minutemen began their 3-point barrage.

With 10:01 left in the first half, Raphiael Putney hit a 3 to tie the game at 24 and Morgan made back-to-back 3-pointers on the Minutemen's ensuing two possessions to give UMass a 30-27 lead.

By halftime, with UMass leading 44-35, the game was out of hand for the Utes.

The second day of the first-year Battle 4 Atlantis tournament was defined by upsets. Defending national champion UConn was upended by Central Florida and Harvard, fresh off its blowout win against Utah, beat No. 20 Florida State.

The Utes, however, were unable to pull off a surprise.

"I told my team, 'We're leaving here with one win,' " Watkins said. "We're not going to come out of here 0-3 and I stand by my word. We can't." —

Utah vs. UNC-Asheville

P At Atlantis Resort (Paradise Island, Bahamas)

Tipoff • Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

TV • HDNet

Radio • 700 AM

Records • Utah 1-4, UNC-Asheville 2-4

Series record • First meeting

About the Utes • Have committed 81 turnovers through five games. … Shot a season-best 60 percent in loss to Massachusetts. … At 1-4, the Utes have their worst record to start a season since opening 1-5 in 1988.

About the Bulldogs • J.P. Primm missed a shot at the buzzer that would have forced overtime against Charleston in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament and Asheville lost 68-66. … The Bulldogs, like Utah, have not beaten an NCAA Division I team this season. … Senior guard Matt Dickey leads the Bulldogs with 16.2 points per game.