This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
When Chris Reyes enters a game, it's often an ill omen: It means Jakob Poeltl is in foul trouble.
The same was true when Reyes checked in for 13 minutes, as Poeltl picked up a questionable second foul shortly before the end of the first half, then a third less than four minutes into the second. But Reyes made the most of the Austrian big man's absence, scoring 10 points on 3-for-4 shooting and finishing first among the Utes plus-12 rating in Utah's 90-82 win over Washington.
The effort included two dunks, including one over one of the Pac-12's leading blockers Malik Dime as he attempted to contest. Reyes missed only one shot — a jumper at the top of the key — that kept him from matching his career-best 12 points he earned in December.
Reyes' aggression helped keep the pressure on Washington's post defense, which was porous for most of the evening.
"Chris Reyes gave us a big boost with 10 points when Jakob was in foul trouble," coach Larry Krystkowiak said. "I thought it was a great overall effort."
Turnovers flip after half
The Utes have lately been frustrated with turnovers — a situation that hadn't changed much through one half Thursday, as the team had 12 giveaways, including seven in one five-minute stretch. While the Huskies had 7 steals, Krystkowiak called many of them "mindless." They led to 19 Huskies points in the first half alone.
"He was frustrated," junior guard Lorenzo Bonam said. "I don't think anybody wanted as many turnovers as we had in the first half."
But the script flipped in the second, as Utah limited itself to just 5 giveaways while Washington had 9. By the game's finish, Utah (17) only had one turnover more than UW (16) and both teams had scored 24 points off of turnovers. Krystkowiak credited the turnaround in turnovers to his team slowing the pace and getting more accurate while targeting teammates for baseline baskets that were open for much of the game.
Briefly
Junior guard Gabe Bealer missed the game to attend his grandfather's funeral in California. … Guards Kenneth Ogbe and Jake Connor were out with injury.
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