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Whenever the Utah Utes win, which is most of the time lately, coach Larry Krystkowiak tends to linger in the Huntsman Center's postgame interview room and savor the moment.

Krystkowiak took a long drink from a can of lemonade after Wednesday night's 86-64 victory over Washington State and studied the stat sheet. Some numbers jumped out at him, including the columns showing 15 combined assists and zero turnovers for guards Delon Wright and Brandon Taylor.

And there was much more to love about their games.

Wright's 17-point, eight-assist night is standard stuff for the Wooden Award candidate and likely NBA first-round draft choice. Taylor's 18-point, seven-assist effort is not so ordinary for him. Yet, that's pretty much what he's been delivering in Pac-12 play this month, with shooting accuracy that's making him Utah's most improved player as a junior in 2014-15.

In six conference games, Taylor is shooting 57.5 percent from the field — and even better from 3-point range. The best part about his scoring production is he seemingly does everything in the flow of the offense, never looking for his shot at the expense of a pass.

The Utes' closing sequence brought out the best in Taylor. Washington State had cut Utah's lead to 62-52 before Taylor drilled a 3-pointer. Later, with the shot clock running down, he drove through the lane and fired a pass to Dakarai Tucker in the corner for a 3-pointer. And then Taylor's season-high seventh assist came via a lob to Tucker for a one-handed finish.

Label that flurry an extended knockout blow, as the No. 12 Utes (15-3) responded well to Saturday's 18-point loss at Arizona. "I thought we took the fight to them," Taylor said.

That description came after Taylor missed Krystkowiak's interview session. The coach loves boxing analogies, although he's sufficiently in tune with society to speak of mixed martial arts. And he admires the 5-foot-10, 167-pound Taylor's basketball toughness and production for his size — "pound for pound," as they say in the fight game.

"He's an absolute little warrior," Krystkowiak said.

Taylor might quibble with that adjective, but he'll take the compliment. As for what behind his improved shooting, Taylor said, "I don't know if I can tell you that."

And he wasn't really kidding with that response, although practicing his shot clearly is a big part of the answer. He's thriving in Utah's motion offense and playing well in tandem with Wright, who handles the ball most of the time.

"He's found his way within our offense," said Krystkowiak, who trusts Taylor's shot selection.

Taylor's efficiency was better than ever Wednesday, when he was 6 of 8 overall and 4 of 6 from 3-point range. Maybe it helped that WSU came to town with the Pac-12's worst defense, but the fact is Taylor has been doing this stuff against everybody in the conference.

That includes Arizona, although his 12-point game in Tucson was lost amid the Utes' struggles. The level of competition dropped off considerably in the Utes' return to the Huntsman Center, and they looked like themselves again.

The experience at Arizona "brings you back down to reality," Taylor said. "You hate to have 'em, but you need games like that."

Just as long as they come intermittently. The Utes are sure to be tested again between now and Feb. 28, when Arizona visits, but their five Pac-12 wins have come by an average of 24 points. That's domination, in any weight class.

Twitter: @tribkurt