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San Juan, Puerto Rico • Perhaps after riding on top for a while, the Utes might've forgotten what it's like to take a true licking.

Miami gave Utah a lesson it won't soon forget - and won't soon wish to repeat.

The Hurricanes battered No. 16 Utah (3-1) on Friday night, dealing them a merciless 90-66 defeat that ranked as the program's biggest loss in two seasons.

There's plenty to pick at, but the fatal flaw for the Utes was coughing up 16 turnovers that produced 23 Miami points. Utah's fumbles gave the Hurricanes a huge edge that Utah could not overcome.

"I don't know if I've ever even heard of that many points off of turnovers being scored before," coach Larry Krystkowiak said afterward. "When we throw the ball up, they take off and go lay it in. That's really hard to overcome."

Miami showed it had plenty athletes capable of finishing fast breaks, maybe none as lethal as Sheldon McClellan, who had a game-high 27 points on 10 for 12 shooting.

But he wasn't the only one getting things done for Miami: 7-foot center Tonye Jekiri's inside presence effectively outmuscled Jakob Poeltl and the rest of Utah's front court. He had a career-high 20 points to go with 12 rebounds.

Between that combo and Utah's turnovers, Miami rung up offense quickly, putting rallies together in a minute or two. Krystkowiak pointed to two key UM runs — a 7-0 swing before halftime, and a 13-3 run before the last four minutes — that killed Utah's chances to swing back into the game.

By the final three minutes, Utah was pulling starters and emptying out the bench. It was Utah's worst loss since a 32-point defeat to Arizona in the 2014 Pac-12 Tournament.

Loveridge had a team-leading 18 points, his fourth straight effort at 18-plus points to start the year. Poeltl added 16 points, with 11 of them in the second half.

Puerto Rican native Angel Rodriguez kicked things off with five swift points for Miami, which hit 8 of its first 12 shots. Utah's disoriented defense was further hampered by early foul calls: Poeltl had two fouls less than seven minutes in, and he was soon joined by Chris Reyes and Brekkott Chapman in foul trouble.

Utah's front court depth was then pried apart, as the Utes had to play it cautious in the paint. Jekiri, who came into the game averaging 6.3 ppg, had 14 before the end of the first half.

Krystkowiak argued the calls on the floor, and the team itself even drew a tech in the second half. But after the game, he focused on a shortcoming of his own big men: rebounding. He was stunned to see that Poeltl, Reyes, Chapman and Kyle Kuzma had one combined board through the first 20 minutes.

"When your fours and fives who play significant minutes in the first half don't rebound well, I'd probably guess they'd all have five fouls, which means their not playing very hard," Krystkowiak said. "Our team needs to get tougher, collectively and individually."

The Utes appeared poised to cut that gap to manageable proportions before halftime, going on a 9-2 run aided by Poeltl's return to the court. Loveridge was the leader, making all four of his first-half shots.

But in the final minute, Miami swung a 7-0 run: A Jekiri lay-up on an offensive rebound was followed quickly by an Angel Rodriguez steal and score. James Palmer put the final exclamation on a sizzling half with a 3-pointer to put his team up by 14 at the break. The Utes trailed by double digits for the rest of the game.

Utah's last contest in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off comes against Temple on Sunday, scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. MST start on ESPNU.

Twitter: @kylegoon —

Storylines

R The Utes commit 16 turnovers, leading to 23 Miami points.

• Sheldon McClellan leads all scorers with 27 points.

• Jordan Loveridge scores 18 and Jakob Poeltl adds 16.

UP NEXT • Utah vs. Temple at the Puerto Rico Classic. Sunday, 2:30 p.m., ESPNU.