Branden Carlson’s Career Night Leads Utah Hoops To Win Over Sacramento State
Nov 13, 2021, 9:38 PM
Utah Utes center Branden Carlson (35) goes to the hoop ahead of Sacramento State Hornets center Jonathan Komagum (21) at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021. (Spenser Heaps, Deseret News)
(Spenser Heaps, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY – The University of Utah Runnin’ Utes got a big performance from Branden Carlson in their 89-56 win over Sacramento State.
Branden Carlson led the way for the Utes with a career-high 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the floor and 2-for-2 from the three-point line. Both Gach was cleared to play on Friday by the NCAA and made his debut on Saturday. He finished with 11 points and three assists.
Marco Anthony had a big performance on the glass, recording six points, 16 rebounds and six assists.
FINAL@UtahMBB starts the season 2⃣-0⃣#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/D7kwfeC6px
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) November 14, 2021
Two Big Runs Give Runnin’ Utes Double Digit Halftime Lead
Early in the first half, Utah went on a run to give them a 15-point lead within the first 10 minutes of the game. Sacramento State made their way back into the game was at point within six points. The tides turned when David Jenkins Jr. converted a four-point play for the second consecutive game.
The Runnin’ Utes took a 45-30 lead at the half. Branden Carlson had 15 points to lead the way. Jenkins added six points, four of which came on one play. Utah shot 43% from the field but made just two of their nine attempts from beyond the arc.
Been that kind of night ⚡️
Utes up 81-51 with 3:44 left.#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/CB8uix2p0m
— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) November 14, 2021
Their defense held the Hornets to just 32% from the floor and 3-of-14 from downtown.
Utah Crushes Sacramento State With Strong Second Half
Utah went on a 7-2 run coming out of the half and Sacramento State went scoreless for about two minutes. The Runnin’ Utes lead was 20 before the Hornets brought the drought.
That run reached 28-13 and Utah was up 73-43 with 8:20 to play in the game. Craig Smith emptied his bench at that point and gave his younger players some playing time.
Utah improved their record to 2-0 on the season. They will return to the Jon M. Huntsman Center on Monday, November 15 to face Bethune-Cookman. Tip-off is at 8 p.m. MT on Pac-12 Mountain.
Trevor Allen is a Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com, Co-Host of Faith, Family and Football podcast with Clark Phillips III and host of the Crimson Corner podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @TrevorASports.
