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Denver • It seemed like a prime moment for a timeout. Larry Krystkowiak knew better.
He stood with his hands on his hips as Julien Lewis hit a 3-pointer for Fresno State's first lead of the game, betraying no nerves. Let them figure it out, he thought.
"I don't like to call a timeout and let them have a lead for two and a half more minutes," Krystkowiak said. "I was real curious how we were going to respond."
So was America, perhaps hungry for another upset in a day fraught with them. But the 3-seeded Utes (27-8) did find a response, to the tune of a 19-2 rally that put them back in the driver's seat and eventually led to an 80-69 victory over Fresno State victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament's Midwest Region.
Despite giving away 20 turnovers, the Utes dominated the glass and rediscovered some fire to close out the pesky Bulldogs and advance for the second consecutive year to the round of 32. Utah will play Gonzaga, a winner over Seton Hall, on Saturday.
While the team has been reticent to say experience is a factor, the three Utah starters — Jakob Poeltl, Brandon Taylor and Jordan Loveridge — who were pivotal in last year's Sweet 16 run combined for 23 of Utah's final 33 points, highlighted by Poeltl's 16-point, 18-rebound effort. Each had 16 points in the game, with junior guard Lorenzo Bonam leading the way with 17 points.
While struggling from the floor by his standards, Poeltl was relentless on the glass, out-rebounding Fresno State's entire team in a career-high performance. It led to a resounding 38-15 advantage on the boards, including 15 offensive rebounds, which helped negate a turnover-prone night for the Utes.
"It's nice when you can play defense and Jakob can get the rebound and we can get going," Loveridge said with a chuckle. "It's nice when we can beat a team on the boards, especially in games like this."
The odds were stacked in Poeltl's favor, as the Bulldogs had no one above 6-foot-10 to match up with him. But despite being slightly held in check by 6-foot-6 Karachi Edo and Fresno State's double teams, Poeltl's 7-foot-3 reach was on full display as he snagged ricocheted shots from every angle.
The Bulldogs got the edge with 15 steals and Utah's 20 total turnovers, which led to 28 points. The giveaways helped Fresno State rally back after being down by as much as 15 points in the first half.
All the momentum swung the Bulldogs' way in the second half, as they went on a 10-0 run powered by Utah's giveaways. While Marvelle Harris led all scorers with 24 for the Bulldogs, Lewis came alive with 8 points, including the go-ahead basket.
Krystkowiak said that 3-pointer was the moment he "saw something click." Bonam hit a jumper, Kyle Kuzma got a layup, and then Loveridge hit a 3-pointer.
Suddenly down by six, Fresno State was the team that called a timeout.
"We're not having a mindset like our opponent is coming after us," Taylor said. "In our heads, we're the ones coming after you. You guys can throw whatever you guys want at us, but we're going to try to not beat ourselves in this tournament."
After Utah's second game with 20 turnovers, Krystkowiak said he'd like his team to stop beating itself in that particular category.
But it's a lesson the Utes can afford to enjoy in victory — the program's 21st in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. And Krystkowiak said he saw other things that keep him encouraged for Round Two.
"For me to scream and holler and light them up, sometimes it just takes a subtle reminder," he said. "Sometimes that senior leadership comes through at that point."
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Storylines
R Utes outrebound Bulldogs, 38-15, with 15 offensive rebounds.
• Jakob Poeltl has 16 points, career-high 18 rebounds.
• Lorenzo Bonam adds 17 points, Brandon Taylor and Jordan Loveridge have 16 each.