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Time seemed to slow for coach Larry Krystkowiak as he watched the ball fly from Parker Van Dyke's hands with 29 seconds left.

He described "this weird vision" in which he imagined the sophomore and Salt Lake City native watching games at the Huntsman Center as a fan, seeing decades of big shots in close games.

"I thought, 'Man, he's due,' " Krystkowiak said. "As the ball was in the air, I just flashed back to all the times he probably watched other players 20 years ago do those same things."

Van Dyke, who made a key 3-pointer in the closing seconds on Tuesday night, wasn't the only hero for Utah (6-1) in a rousing 87-80 win over Utah Valley (5-3) that registered as the loudest, most thrilling game on the Utes' home court to date.

It took junior guard JoJo Zamora, who led five double-digit scorers with 17 points and made all eight of his free throws — including four in the last 18 seconds. It took Tyler Rawson, who broke a shooting slump with four 3-pointers, including one that stemmed a Wolverines surge. It took senior Lorenzo Bonam, who put Utah ahead for good at the 1:09 mark and notched the assist on Van Dyke's shot.

Entering the game with not much more than blowout wins under their belt, Utah won its first close game, which could be a steppingstone as the program prepares for top-10 opponent Xavier on Saturday. And when the Wolverines threatened, erasing Utah's 14-point second half lead, the Utes found plenty of players ready to respond.

"I couldn't be more proud of the way they responded," Krystkowiak said. "A lot of things had to come together for us to preserve a win."

Going into the finish, it appeared that things were coming together for UVU, which only two weeks prior had set an opponent scoring record at the Marriott Center while knocking off BYU.

Utah had a game plan to take away UVU's dangerous shooters, which worked well (7 for 20 on 3-pointers), but left the lane open for junior forward Isaac Neilson to have a monster game. With 28 points and 15 rebounds, the 6-foot-11 BYU transfer put the heat on the Utes inside, and teammate Jordan Poydras added 21 points, including four 3-pointers, to rally the Wolverines.

Utah led by 13 with 12:05 left in the game, but in less than three minutes, UVU closed it to four points. As the clock ticked under four minutes, the Wolverines made their move with a 10-3 rally capped by a floater by Brandon Randolph.

Trailing 78-75 with 2:04 remaining, Utah faced a situation it hadn't before this season: trying to close a tight game at home.

"People just stepped up," said junior Kyle Kuzma, who had 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Utah took the lead in the final minute on a Bonam layup, then after a UVU miss and a lengthy officiating review, the Utes got the ball back. Milking the clock, Bonam passed to Van Dyke on the right flank for the 3-pointer that would serve as the winning basket.

Randolph knocked down a quick layup, but Zamora was fouled and hit two free throws to take an 85-80 lead. UVU turned the ball over on a Randolph travel, and Zamora sealed it up at the line with two more shots.

"I've seen a lot of games like that as a fan," said Van Dyke, who finished with 11 points. "To be a part of that as a player is something that is really special to me, especially against an in-state school."

The start of the game didn't much resemble the scouting report. Utah, the team stocked with slashers, settled for jumpers with Kuzma missing his first five shots against constant-double teaming. UVU, the team that loves the 3-pointer, made only two in the first half against the Utes, who locked up on the perimeter.

But it was Neilson, who wound up dominating the game with room to work in the center and a mandate to clean the glass. The junior center had 16 of his 28 points in the first half, hitting seven of his first nine shots.

But Utah took the early edge as UVU's shooters started out cold — leading scorers Kenneth Ogbe (making his return to Utah) and Conner Toolson had two points between them in the first half and eight overall in the game. Bonam, on the other hand, took the lead for a diverse Utes offense, and gave Utah a 41-36 halftime lead on a layup before the buzzer.

UVU coach Mark Pope said while Neilson and Randolph made the pick-and-roll work, it wasn't what the Wolverines hoped to do to upset another one of the premier in-state programs. Utah's defense on UVU's shooters, in his view, won the evening.

Utah took the first lead in what he hopes will continue to be a vibrant series, 1-0.

"I thought it was a great game," Pope said. "Their game plan was good. I thought ours was good. They just came out on top."

Twitter: @kylegoon —

Storylines

R Utes finish on a 9-2 run.

• Utah junior guard JoJo Zamora leads with 17 points, going 8 for 8 on free throws.

• UVU junior Isaac Neilson has a game-high 28 points, 15 rebounds.