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A game with no flow — that's what it felt like for the Runnin' Utes for a large chunk of Friday night's season opener.
Then they found it and uncorked a torrent of energy.
After sparring with plucky Ball State for 34 minutes, a 16-0 run in the final stretch put the Cardinals to bed for good. When the No. 25-ranked Utes (1-0) clinched the 90-72 win, they showed the version of themselves that has hope running high in Salt Lake City.
Utah is a new group, to be sure, and the new players made themselves felt, but when it came down to it, senior guard Delon Wright still was the clutch performer.
"I've seen a lot of games where it's like slugging rats for a while; it's hard to get over the hump," coach Larry Krystkowiak said. "But there's a senior on our team who is very savvy, got a couple steals, got a couple guys involved. That was a big boost for us, no doubt about it."
Finishing with 13 points, 8 assists, 3 blocks and 4 steals, Wright turned around the Cardinals attack every time they threatened to nip a little closer at Utah's heels.
And nip they did: Ball State's 10 shots beyond the arc kept them in it. Freshman Sean Sellers was particularly pesky, pouring in 26 points on 8-of-13 shooting.
Utah struggled to find its groove, and it was thanks in no small part to stops and starts with whistles and turnovers. Utah had 14 giveaways, and the game as a whole featured 48 personal fouls and at least one official review that had the Huntsman Center crowd tapping their toes.
"We couldn't get easy baskets: We were playing into their game," Wright said. "Turnovers were sucking the life out of us. We just had to get some easy baskets and not turn the ball over."
But then it came all at once: Jordan Loveridge grabbed a steal, then took it to the rack. Brandon Taylor picked up a steal on the next possession, which Jakob Poeltl was able to tip in on the other end.
Wright announced the rout was in full effect, blocking a shot by Ball State guard Zavier Turner, opening up Loveridge for a 3-pointer in transition.
The Cardinals never recovered from the uppercut, as the gap grew from 6 to 22 in the space of two-and-a-half minutes without so much as a point on their part.
Offensively, Utah was a force: The team shot 59.2 percent from the floor — 66.7 percent from 3-point land — and scored 24 of their points directly off of Ball State turnovers. There was also a pleasing balance: Taylor scored 19, and Loveridge and Poeltl each finished with 18 apiece.
"This is maybe the vision I had, where we had five guys almost in [double-digit scoring]," Krystkowiak said. "We had some balance. For the most part had enough to get over the hump and get some momentum in our building."
Not to say there isn't room for improvement: The team will almost certainly frown on going only 65 percent from the free throw line and coughing up 14 turnovers. Those factors, combined with the subpar perimeter defense, made for a close contest with a team that won only five games last year.
Utah's bristling start held promise, though. Austrian freshman Poeltl dominated his first four minutes in an official college game, scoring eight and grabbing critical rebounds to keep possessions alive. With Taylor knocking down threes and Kenneth Ogbe launching up for a two-handed dunk, the Utes look prepared to roll in their debut.
But Ball State refused to yield, using a zone scheme to frustrate the Utah offense. The Cardinals also capitalized on turnovers when they came, scoring 14 points on Utah's seven giveaways in the first half.
Utah next faces No. 16-ranked San Diego State on the road. The Aztecs won their first game 79-58 at home against Cal State Northridge.
"They're a serious machine, and coach [Steve] Fisher has done a great job there," Krystkowiak said. "That's why we bit it off, because it's a hard challenge."
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Storylines
• The Utes go on a 16-0 run with six minutes left in the game
• Delon Wright finishes with 13 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks
• Brandon Taylor has a team-high 19 points, while Jakob Poeltl, Jordan Loveridge each have 18