SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Both Gach and Sedrick Barefield scored 15 points apiece to lead Utah to a 69-64 victory over Tulsa on Saturday.
Jayce Johnson added 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Utes. Utah (4-3) improved to 3-0 at home this season.
Jeriah Horne scored 15 points, Sterling Taplin added 12 points and Lawson Korita chipped in 11 to lead the Golden Hurricane. Tulsa (5-3) lost for the third time in four games after shooting just 36 percent from the field.
Utah missed nine of its first 11 shots before snapping the slump with four straight baskets. Gach provided the first three, including back-to-back 3-pointers. Riley Battin capped it off with a third 3-pointer to put the Utes ahead 15-6.
Tulsa took its own cold start on offense a step further. The Golden Hurricane missed all 15 shots they attempted from 3-point range in the first half and opened up 0-of-18 from outside. They shot a scant 26 percent from the field (8-of-31) in the first 20 minutes.
Tulsa didn’t score consecutive field goals for the first time until Daquan Jeffries and Martins Igbanu had back-to-back jumpers in the final two minutes of the half. Their baskets answered back-to-back baskets from Donnie Tillman and Jayce Johnson and cut Utah’s lead to 21-15.
The Utes eventually carved out a 30-19 lead on Gach’s third 3-pointer early in the second half.
Lawson Korita finally broke Tulsa’s long-distance drought with a corner three, highlighting baskets on four straight possessions for the Golden Hurricane. Tulsa trimmed the deficit to 34-30 on Jeriah Horne’s jumper. Sedrick Barefield and Parker Van Dyke answered with back-to-back 3-pointers to quell a potential rally and push Utah’s lead to 40-32.
Tulsa cut the deficit to a basket on a 3-pointer from Jeffries with 6:46 remaining. Utah answered with a 7-0 run, capped by a Barefield 3-pointer, to extend its lead to 57-47 with 4:20 left.
BIG PICTURE
Tulsa: Poor shooting ultimately undercut a golden opportunity for the Golden Hurricane to score a big road upset over a Pac-12 team. Tulsa gave itself plenty of chances to get baskets after pulling down 17 offensive rebounds, but the Golden Hurricane just couldn’t get shots to consistently fall.
Utah: Defense came to the rescue for the Utes after an anemic offensive effort. This could be a recurring theme for Utah. With several inexperienced freshmen playing key roles, things are likely to be bumpy on offense as the season progresses.
UP NEXT
Tulsa hosts instate rival Oklahoma State on Wednesday.
Utah plays instate rival BYU in the Beehive Classic on Saturday.
