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Portland, Ore. • Utah center Jakob Poeltl produced a lot of big numbers in his first NCAA Tournament appearance.

A little number made them possible.

Poeltl committed only two fouls, which enabled him to stay on the court for 33 minutes Thursday night. Ute coach Larry Krystkowiak labeled him the team's player of the game at both ends, and the statistics supported that statement.

Poeltl finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots in a 57-50 defeat of Stephen F. Austin at the Moda Center. Considering his struggles from the line, his 4-of-7 free-throw shooting may have been as impressive as his 7-of-7 showing from the field.

"He's been an anchor for us, when we can keep him out of foul trouble," Krystkowiak said.

Poeltl's playing time was topped only by his 36 minutes in an overtime win over Wichita State in early December. "I just tried to be aggressive, like build up walls, not try to hack my opponents, get dumb fouls," he said. "Well, I managed to stay out there."

And the Austrian, who used to watch NCAA Tournament games via his computer, enjoyed the experience.

"It just felt awesome," he said. "You just see in everybody's eyes that the game is so important."

The 7-footer exploited his height advantage over the Lumberjacks, and SFA coach Brad Underwood said, "Poeltl inside obviously was an impact guy."

Poeltl also roamed outside, as necessary in Utah's switching defense. He blocked Jacob Parker's 3-point attempt with 11 seconds remaining and Utah leading 55-50. Parker got the rebound, but missed on another attempt under pressure, finishing 0 for 8 from 3-point range.

Poeltl was "really sound in keeping people in front of him," Krystkowiak said. "At the rim, he didn't come down and hack guys. He's been a key to our success, and part of the reason that we've struggled in the last eight games was we can't keep him on the floor."

kkragthorpe@sltrib.com

Twitter: @tribkurt