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Maybe Jakob Poeltl didn't need to lay out for a loose ball. He did.

Maybe Brandon Taylor didn't need to fight through a crowd of three Savannah State defenders for a rebound. He did.

Utah (8-2) probably could've played half-speed and cruised past Savannah State (4-6) at a half-empty Huntsman Center. But the Runnin' Utes didn't need a win as much as they needed to prove something to themselves in a 99-53 victory on Wednesday night following an ugly loss at Wichita State over the weekend.

Early week practices that included running the stairs at the Huntsman Center appeared to have their intended affect as Utah nearly doubled up the score against their visiting MEAC foes.

Several of the Utes — Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Taylor, Isaiah Wright among them — had shorn their curly locks of hair for more conservative cuts. It was all tied together, part of Utah trying to move past the struggles that dogged them in Kansas.

"It's just a fresh start," said senior guard Taylor. "I just feel fresh."

Utah's game looked fresh: The team's ball movement was its best all year, 30 assists on 37 baskets, led by Lorenzo Bonam's seven assists.

Utah's commitment to finding the open man paid off with the team shooting 60.7 percent, led by 18 points from Kuzma.

While sophomore center Poeltl again reached double-digits with 10 points, other lanes opened up: Bonam was fierce in transition with layups and slick passes. Taylor broke his early shooting slump with 13 points, including 10 in the first five minutes.

Sharing the scoring load was an emphasis after the loss to the Shockers, where Larry Krystkowiak felt the team was playing too selfishly on offense. And with Duke coming up Saturday, that needed to change.

"I asked our players to quit thinking about 'me' shots and start taking some 'we' shots," he said. "It was contagious early on. Brandon, nice seeing him hit a couple shots. And from there it just spread."

The defensive effort for Utah was also among its best: The team traded baskets at the start, but the Utes quickly walled up around the rim. Savannah State bricked 13 shots in a row during an 11-minute stretch in which Utah increased its lead from 1 to 27.

Even midway through the scoreless run, Utah's defense seemed to be in the Tigers' heads: Savannah shooters tossed up multiple air balls in the first half, even on rare occasions when there wasn't a Utah hand in their faces. The Tigers shot 32.2 percent in the game.

"I think we just had to focus on, 'We're going to guard guys today,'" Kuzma said. "We just had a different mindset from the two losses we've had."

While the Tigers did make a 12-point burst fueled by Utah turnovers late in the half, the Utes never left the drivers' seat. They finished the half on a nine-point flourish with a halftime buzzer-beater by Taylor, then picked it up again after the break on an 8-0 run.

Reserves played out most of the second half: Gabe Bealer (11 points) and Dakarai Tucker (10 points) reached double-figures off the bench.

Next up: The 7th-ranked Blue Devils at Madison Square Garden. At the very least, this game allowed the Utes to catch their Thursday morning flight to New York without the bitter taste of Wichita State in their mouths.

"It's a great opportunity to play in the Garden, to play against Duke," Taylor said. "It's going to be a great college atmosphere. We know what it's like to play on the road now. Now it's time to take it, apply it and really turn this thing around."

Twitter: @kylegoon —

Storylines

R Utes shoot 60.7 percent, notch 30 assists on 37 baskets

• Kyle Kuzma scores 18, Lorenzo Bonam adds 14 points, 7 rebounds

• Tigers shoot 32.2 percent from the floor

Utah 99, Savannah State 53

UTAH (8-2)

Taylor 5-8 0-0 13, Bonam 6-6 0-0 14, Loveridge 2-4 0-0 5, Kuzma 7-11 3-4 18, Poeltl 5-7 0-0 10, Chapman 1-2 0-0 2, Wright 0-1 2-2 2, Eastman 0-0 0-0 0, Connor 1-1 0-0 2, Tucker 3-7 1-2 10, Reyes 2-5 2-3 6, Bealer 3-7 4-6 11, Montgomery 2-2 2-2 6. Totals 37-61 14-19 99.

SAVANNAH ST. (4-6)

Martin 4-11 3-3 13, Kilo 5-14 2-2 14, Manassa 2-10 2-2 6, Felder 4-6 0-0 10, Idris 0-2 0-0 0, Cherry 0-3 0-0 0, Pinkett 1-2 0-2 2, Jordan 0-0 1-2 1, McClanahan 2-7 0-0 5, Pearson 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 19-59 8-11 53.

Halftime—Utah 51-24. 3-Point Goals—Savannah St. 7-20 (Kilo 2-4, Felder 2-4, Martin 2-7, McClanahan 1-2, Cherry 0-1, Manassa 0-2), Utah 11-21 (Taylor 3-6, Tucker 3-6, Bonam 2-2, Kuzma 1-1, Loveridge 1-1, Bealer 1-3, Wright 0-1, Reyes 0-1). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Savannah St. 26 (Martin, McClanahan 5), Utah 42 (Chapman, Poeltl 7). Assists—Savannah St. 8 (Manassa 4), Utah 30 (Bonam 7). Total Fouls—Savannah St. 21, Utah 10. A—11,911.