UTAH UTES

Utah Men’s Basketball Cook UCLA In Second Half

Jan 11, 2024, 9:04 PM | Updated: Jan 12, 2024, 12:04 pm

SALT LAKE CITY – The Runnin’ Utes were back at home Thursday night hosting the UCLA Bruins after a tough outing in Arizona the previous week.

Utah struggled defensively against both ASU and Arizona, something that head coach Craig Smith wanted to see cleaned up at home against the Bruins.

The Utes took control and led the entire first half, going into the locker room with a 33-23 lead over the Bruins.

Utah continued to heat up in the second half, running away with the game and leaving UCLA in the dust, 90-44. It is Utah’s largest margin of victory against the Bruins since 2015.

Look Ahead At Utah’s Schedule

Utah will be back on the road taking on the Stanford Cardinal on Sunday, January 14 with a 3:00 pm MT tip. The game can be viewed on Pac-12 Networks.

Starting Five For UCLA Vs. Utah

Utah Men Stats Leaders Against UCLA

  • Scoring Leader: Keba Keita, Cole Bajema – 14 points
  • Rebound Leader: Branden Carlson – 14 rebounds
  • Assists Leader: Deivon Smith – 8 assists

Keita went 6-10 from the paint, and 2-3 from the line to earn his team high 14 points. Keita was also good for four rebounds and one steal.

Cole Bajema went 5-10 from the paint and 4-7 from the three to tie Keita for top-scorer of the night. Bajema added two rebounds and one block on the night as well.

Branden Carlson finished the night second in scoring with 12 points in addition to his team leading 14 rebounds.

Gabe Madsen and Deivon Smith tied for third in scoring on the night with 11 points apiece.

Noteworthy Utah Men’s Basketball Team Stats Against The Bruins

The Utes got back on track after a rough trip in Arizona shooting 50% from the field, 41% from the three and 69% from the line against the Bruins.

Additionally, Utah out-rebounded UCLA 50-28 while adding 17 assists, five blocks, and six steals.

Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on XInstagram, and Threads: @BodkinKSLsports

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Utah Men’s Basketball Cook UCLA In Second Half