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Minus Jakob Poeltl, on an off-night for Utah's frontcourt, the margin of error was slim for Utah's backcourt.
But the margin of victory was large, nonetheless, because Brandon Taylor and Delon Wright verged on flawless.
No. 12 Utah (15-3, 5-1 Pac-12) received a blank slate in Wednesday night's whiteout game at the Huntsman Center, following a lopsided loss to No. 7 Arizona that head coach Larry Krystkowiak called an "eye-opener."
And Wright and Taylor filled that slate — or the stat sheet, at least — with eye-popping numbers.
The duo combined for 35 points in beating Washington State 86-64. They finished 11-of-16 shooting, shot 8-for-8 at the free-throw line, dished out 15 assists, snagged five steals and had nary a turnover between them.
"Arizona really made me feel some type of way, and I think kind of woke us all up," said Taylor, whose 18 points were his second-highest total this season, and whose seven assists were a season-high. "… You need games like that. You hate to have them, but you need games like that."
Poeltl sprained his ankle falling awkwardly after hitting his head on the rim against Arizona, Krystkowiak said, and replacement Dallin Bachynski grew frustrated while struggling in the freshman's stead.
Although senior forward Jeremy Olsen made the most of a rare opportunity, totaling a season-high eight points and five rebounds in 14 minutes, the Utes were bullied in the paint by WSU bigs Josh Hawkinson (12 points, 10 rebounds) and Jordan Railey (12 points, five blocks).
"I coach the big guys, and I felt a little uneasy tonight," Krystkowiak said, noting that the Utes were outrebounded for the third time this season, 35-30.
But given his backcourt's stellar play, that was academic. Utah covered a 21-point spread and totaled four turnovers, while generating 17.
They started somewhat slow — Krystkowiak said his team was surprised by the relentlessness of Ernie Kent's high-tempo attack — before Utah's perimeter defense clamped down, and Utah's shots started falling.
The hosts led 24-23 after 13 minutes, stymied by Washington State's zone. Then came two 3-pointers from Jordan Loveridge, another from Taylor, another from Dakarai Tucker, and in a blink the Utes were taking a 46-27 lead into the break.
That Utah covered the astronomical spread is even more noteworthy given that Washington State (9-9, 3-3) gained an unusual 2-0 lead before the opening tip after a technical foul was assessed to Brekkott Chapman for dunking in warmups and Hawkinson sank two free throws.
"I'm just really happy now that we're enforcing all the rules of basketball," Krystkowiak quipped afterward.
The Utes play next at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, hosting 13-4 Washington and hoping that Poeltl's ankle heals quickly enough to combat 7-foot block machine Robert Upshaw.
Twitter: @matthew_piper —
Storylines
R Guards Brandon Taylor and Delon Wright combine for 35 points, 15 assists and zero turnovers.
• Senior Jeremy Olsen plays 14 minutes and scores a season-high eight points.
• Utah ends first half on a 19-2 run over the final six minutes.