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Hours before tipoff against College of Idaho, Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak hoped his team could "get a good sweat in" returning to the court after the holidays.
Trailing by 14 to the Yotes probably wasn't what he had in mind to get the perspiration going.
But following an uninspired start that saw the Utes cede a 16-2 advantage to their visiting NAIA opponent, they rallied back quickly in an eventual 115-74 win over College of Idaho.
Utah's highest scoring effort in exactly two years saw five Utes score in double figures, eight Utes dish out multiple assists and the team shoot nearly 63 percent from the floor. In short: It's the kind of offensive performance a program might hope for entering conference play this weekend.
A little dose of humility, Krystkowiak said, might've served them well.
"I'm glad that they came out and hit us like that, because it got guys' attention," he said. "It's a good little indication that you should be dialed in all the time."
It was a surreal start — even a few Utah fans sprinkled in Huntsman Center laughed aloud as the Yotes buried shot after shot, going 7 for 10 at the outset.
Utah's own offense sputtered with the first few go-arounds: a blocked shot, a turnover, a miss before Lorenzo Bonam scored Utah's first basket. Krystkowiak said the Utes didn't run the first two plays they had called, and didn't huddle after free throw attempts, all out-of-character actions for the team.
On defense, Utah (11-2) struggled to cover all of College of Idaho's open shooters. When Joey Nebeker buried a 3-pointer less than four minutes into the game, the Utes — winners of 27 straight nonconference games at home entering Monday night — found themselves in the unfamiliar position of being underneath the steamroller.
After Jakob Poeltl shortened the gap to 16-4, the Utes gathered for a terse media timeout, where Krystkowiak said they had violated one of basketball's cardinal sins: Thou shalt respect the game, no matter the opponent.
"That's something we can't do, even against lower opponents," said Dakarai Tucker. "We have to respect the game at all times and respect everybody that comes out on that court."
From there, the Utes outscored the Yotes 48-23 to end the half, including an overpowering 35-5 run when they took the lead.
Poeltl helped lead the rally, scoring three of Utah's first nine baskets. He tied up the game at 11:33 with a pair of free throws, then Brandon Taylor nailed a go-ahead 3-pointer with 10:53 left in the half.
Utah never trailed again.
That isn't to say College of Idaho gave up — far from it, as former Rick Majerus assistant Scott Garson kept his team feisty. The Yotes cut the lead as close to eight points in the second half, throwing up 3-pointers relentlessly. They finished with 39 attempts from deep.
Utah allowed the Yotes to hang around into the second half before a 9-0 run that took 1:06 of clock on consecutive layups by Kuzma, Tucker, Bonam and Kuzma again that put Utah up by 23 and out of reach for good.
Kuzma and Tucker each had 17 points to lead Utah in scoring. Poeltl added 15 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks. The Yotes were overmatched inside: Utah had a 30-rebound advantage and scored 48 more points in the paint.
Utah still has things to clean up: Krystkowiak pointed to 17 turnovers as troubling heading into Friday night's New Year's matchup with Stanford, which kicks off Pac-12 play.
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Storylines
R Utah scores its most points in a regular-season game in two years (115).
• Five Utes finish in double figures, led by Dakarai Tucker and Kyle Kuzma with 17 each.
• Eight Utes have multiple assists, with 28 total assists on 42 baskets.