This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
During the rise of Utah's basketball program last season, the Utes became known for crushing opponents - or not winning at all. They failed more than they succeeded at the end of games against top-tier teams, often being let down by an offense that was just not quite reliable enough when it really mattered.
Such history made Utah's 81-76 win over San Diego State at the Huntsman Center meaningful Monday night. In the final seven minutes, the home team continually came through. The No. 16 Utes won this game with their offense, which hardly ever happened when things got tight and tough last year.
After all the twists and turns of the first 33 minutes, the Utes found themselves in a tie game. And that's when they discovered their offensive ability against a traditionally very good defensive program. The Utes shared the ball, made big plays and built just enough of a lead to hold off the Aztecs' late flurry.
Pick your favorite moment from Utah's closing stretch in a 56-56 game, among all kinds of contenders: Lorenzo Bonam's 3-pointer from the left corner, after he caught Jakob Poeltl's long pass out of a double-team. Brekkott Chapman's 3-pointer with a Brandon Taylor assist, giving the Utes their first bench points of the game. Poeltl's layup after Kyle Kuzma found him open inside with the shot clock running down.
Those nice plays were followed by some excellent free-throw shooting - even from Poeltl, who has improved considerably from his 44-percent accuracy as a freshman. Add it up, and the Utes showed a dimension they lacked last season, even as a Sweet 16 team. San Diego State may not be exactly its former self, but the Aztecs are the clear Mountain West favorites and projected for a decent seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Personnel changes aside, this rematch with SDSU would be telling for the Utes. They struggled like crazy to score against the Aztecs last November in San Diego, although their defense enabled them to remain competitive in a 53-49 loss.
Utah's defense is nowhere near that level yet, although it was better than the Utes showed in Friday's season-opening victory over Southern Utah. The Utes really would have felt even better about themselves if not for a couple of SDSU 3-pointers late in the game, as the Aztecs got within 75-73. The point is the Utes had done enough offensively to give themselves some cushion, and they took care of the rest of the night's responsibilities at the foul line.
The Utes still have their deficiencies, that's for sure. Bonam's move to the starting lineup as a junior college transfer weakens the bench, which has produced 16 points in two games. Taylor is 3 for 18 from the field to begin his senior year. Utah is likely to struggle whenever Poeltl is out, because of the absence of a true backup center, and that happened Monday when he exited with three fouls midway through the second half.
Yet the Utes managed to beat a good opponent, with some timely efforts. While scoring 21 points, Jordan Loveridge seemed to sense whenever some offense was needed. As a senior, Loveridge said, "You get confidence each year. You know how the game goes. Especially big games like this - you get in these games, and you know how important each possession on defense and offense are."
There was a moment early in the second half when the Utes seemingly were about to do to SDSU what they did to a series of Pac-12 visiting teams last season. Taylor's 3-point try could have given Utah a 12-point lead. The ball rimmed out and the Aztecs responded with a 12-0 run.
Maybe that sequence ultimately was healthy for the Utes, though. These guys needed to prove something at a critical stage of a contest. Never mind that this is mid-November, Monday's game produced moments that required some big-time responses. And the Utes delivered them.
Twitter: @tribkurt