In a moment, Ute guard Chris Hines was not as fast as 270-pound forward Joe Burton, Oregon State’s enforcer who is not measured in height but in circumference.
After Hines had the ball poked free and didn’t chase it across the half-court line, Burton grabbed the ball and drove for a layup.
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Highlights
Utah is led by guard Cedric Martin’s 19 points and Jason Washburn’s 15 points and eight blocks.» OSU’s Jared Cunningham, the Pac-12’s leading scorer, finishes with 20 points for the Beavers.
» At halftime, the Utes are 7 of 18 from the field and attempt 20 fewer shots than the Beavers.
» Twenty-three turnovers mark a season high for the Utes. The previous low/high-water mark was 19, which they accomplished twice in November.
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The play was Utah’s 76-58 loss to the Beavers in a snapshot: the defensive pressure, the offensive lethargy, the turnovers.
Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers. Twenty-three of them.
See the boxscore at http://bit.ly/zwYlz5
Burton’s basket came amid a 13-0 first-half run by the Beavers (15-8, 5-6 Pac-12), who two days after losing by 22 at Colorado were spelled by a Utah team (14-8, 4-6) that appeared unengaged.
"It was like we thought somebody else was going to get it," coach Larry Krystkowiak said.
Oregon State employed its noted 1-3-1 half-court trapping defense, wreaking havoc on the Utes.
"They got a lot of length and they got a lot of athleticism," said Utah center Jason Washburn, who had a career-high eight blocks. "It’s not something that we can simulate too much in practice. Coaches came up with a way to beat the pressure in practice, we had trouble executing."
One game removed from a nearly flawless turnover against Oregon, freshman point guard Kareem Storey had a disastrous performance, committing nine turnovers. He was limited by fouls to just 10 minutes in the first half.
But he was not the only one committing turnovers. Giving the ball to the Beavers was as popular among the Utes as Beats By Dr. Dre headphones.
And the pressing Beavers were happy to take advantage.
"It’s a lot like a shark," Krystkowiak said. "If they get a little sniff of blood in the water, it’s just going to become magnified and that much harder to deal with."
When Utah actually had an opportunity to shoot the ball, it did so near its season average, finishing at 40 percent. But it made just 18 baskets, and at halftime had attempted 20 shots fewer than the Beavers.
Krystkowiak said that statistic was "unheard of."
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