Utes Drain 11 Threes In First Half Against UCLA
Mar 9, 2019, 6:08 PM | Updated: 7:28 pm
Utah Utes guard Parker Van Dyke (5) shoots a three point shot against the USC Trojans at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Thursday, March 7, 2019. (Silas Walker, Deseret News)
(Silas Walker, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – It was a pretty clear day up on the hill for Utah’s season-ending pivotal contest against UCLA.
Except for the inside of the Huntsman Center, where the Utes were making it rain.
Led by two senior guards playing in their last game on Utah’s campus, Sedrick Barefield and Parker Van Dyke, the Utes experienced a ton of success from beyond the arc early on against the Bruins. Sophomore Donnie Tillman also got involved in the 3-point shooting bonanza.
Donnie Tillman 👌👌👌
UTAH 51 | UCLA 24#GoUtes🏀🔴 | 📺 https://t.co/lTVxbaKfEP pic.twitter.com/V4m1KLGkZA
— Utah Basketball🏀 (@UtahMBB) March 10, 2019
Barefield knocked down 3-of-8 attempts from downtown, Van Dyke drained 2-of-4 while Tillman hit 4-for-6. Both Gach and Riley Battin also converted on a triple each.
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Van Dyke and Barefield came into the game ranked in the top 10 in the Pac-12 in terms of 3-point field goal percentage. Their efforts, along with Tillman’s, helped the Utes hit a solid 55 percent of their tries from beyond the arc in the first half, well above their season average of 38.5 percent per game.
The Runnin' Utes are in 3️⃣rd place in the Pac-12 standings with 1 home game remaining! Utes continue to battle for a Top-4️⃣ seed for the Pac-12 Tournament next week. 📈#GoUtes🏀🔴 | #Pac12Hoops pic.twitter.com/BKJtDbPG1o
— Utah Basketball🏀 (@UtahMBB) March 8, 2019
At halftime, the Utes led 51-31 over the Bruins. The game has major conference implications as Utah will secure the No. 3 seed and a first-round bye in the Pac-12 Tournament with a win. The Utes were picked to finish eighth in the preseason polls.
