PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) — Sedrick Barefield scored 33 points to lead Utah to a 92-79 victory over Washington State on Saturday night.
Donnie Tillman added 16 points and 11 rebounds for Utah (15-12, 9-6 Pac-12). Parker Van Dyke had 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting from 3-point range.
Robert Franks scored 29 points with seven rebounds for Washington State (11-16, 4-10). CJ Elleby added 16 points and seven rebounds.
Utah led 45-43 at halftime but broke things open early in the second half with a 6-0 run after Van Dyke knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers within 40 seconds of each other, giving Utah a 64-50 advantage with 13:04 remaining.
Utah led by double digits for most of the second half. The Cougars were able to get within eight points in the last two minutes but were denied by clutch free-throw shooting from the Utes.
Barefield, Van Dyke and Both Gach made 10 of 12 free throws for the Utes in the last 2:35. Gach caught a long pass down court from Charles Jones, and finished with a big dunk to seal the victory with 52 seconds remaining.
BIG PICTURE
Utah: Gets back in the win column after losing two games in a row to Arizona State and Washington. The win comes at a crucial time with the Utes sitting just outside the top four seeds in the Pac-12 standings.
Washington State: Is starting to cool down after winning three out of their last four games. The Cougars are in the bottom half of the conference standings, and with the conference tournament nearing closer, tonight’s loss shouldn’t affect their seeding drastically come tournament time.
UP NEXT:
Utah: Travels to play Colorado next Saturday.
Washington State: Plays at Stanford on Thursday.
