This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Los Angeles • A pack of NBA scouts and front office officials occupied two rows on the south side of the Galen Center, including Los Angeles Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak. With rolled-up sleeves and pens perched thoughtfully at the corners of their mouths, they scrawled on notepads after plays that caught their attention.
Jakob Poeltl kept them busy.
The 7-footer had one of his biggest games ever, finishing with 29 points, 13 rebounds and four assists, bolstering his case as the Pac-12's best player and leading Utah to an 80-69 win over USC. The Trojans came in confident on the home floor where they had won all 15 games this season, but with Poeltl establishing himself in the paint, the Utes dealt them their first loss at the Galen Center.
By the time Poeltl intercepted a USC pass — his fourth steal of the night — with his team up by 14 with 2:28 to go, the scouts were pulling on their jackets and packing away their notes. They had seen enough. So had USC.
"He's a pro if I've ever seen one," USC junior guard Julian Jacobs said. "It was the Jakob Poeltl show."
Poeltl's second straight double-double came at the expense of the Trojans' big men, who couldn't do much to stop the Austrian from getting the ball in the net. Poeltl swept down from the wings, poked through double- and triple-teams and powered his way to rebounds that helped Utah (21-7, 10-5) roll up 38 points in the paint. He was 11 for 13 from the field, and also 7 for 8 from the free-throw line.
In his past 11 games, he's averaging 21 points while guiding the Utes to a 9-2 record in the same span. Riding his hot streak, the Utes have shot from the bottom of the Pac-12 standings to third place — only a half-game behind Arizona and Oregon tied for first.
"I'm just being me out there," he said. "I'm trying to be aggressive, I'm trying to call for the ball. My teammates are doing a very good job of getting me the ball and in positions where I can score."
The Utes did their best to help one another: Utah had 23 assists on 30 baskets, led by senior Brandon Taylor with a career-high 10 dishes.
Utah stretched a 40-30 halftime lead to 16 points early with back-to-back 3-pointers, but then buckled as USC put together a 14-3 run to close the lead to five. USC guards Jacobs and Jordan McLaughlin, with a combined 37 points, together with turnovers had the Utes on their heels.
Mindful of Utah's last game — when UCLA rallied back from a 14-point gap to a 2-point margin — coach Larry Krystkowiak called a timeout. But he didn't have to say much to his team, he claimed, and they quickly stretched the lead back to double figures on a run that included three Poeltl baskets.
"Each possession is very important," Krystkowiak said. "Hopefully That's a lesson learned and we'll be able to close out a game better — which I think we did."
Poeltl's monster effort began early, as he scored the first five points for Utah, then had nine points within the game's first six minutes. Even fouling didn't slow him down much: He was 6 for 6 from the free-throw line in first half, with 16 points total. His dominance helped the Utes weather early foul trouble with Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Loveridge on the bench.
While the Trojans packed their defense against Poeltl, the Utes were able to hit enough 3-pointers to stretch their biggest lead of the half to 14 points before the Trojans were able to trim the halftime deficit to 10 points with a buzzer-beating deep shot from Katin Reinhardt.
Krystkowiak improved to 5-0 against USC coach Andy Enfield. Utah's seniors, including L.A. natives Brandon Taylor and Dakarai Tucker, celebrated their third straight win in the Galen Center.
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Storylines
R Jakob Poeltl scores 29 and adds 13 rebounds.
• The Utes shoot 53.6 percent from the field. Monson • Utah on receiving end of legislative power play > sltrib.com