Three Takeaways From Utah’s Beehive Classic Win Over Weber State

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The University of Utah finished the three-year agreement with the Beehive Classic with a 2-1 record after their 60-49 win over Weber State at Vivint Smart Home Arena.

Utah beat Utah State in 2017 to begin the Beehive Classic before losing to BYU in 2018.

It wasn’t the prettiest game for the Utes, but they figured out a way to get the win.

Here is the Crimson Corner’s “three man weave” from Utah’s win over Weber State.

Timmy Allen Had To Get Creative

Allen scored 13 of his 19 points in the first half and was a big reason why the Utes crawled back into the game when they were trailing in the opening half. Weber State was very good defensively in protecting the paint and doubling the post when they had the ball down on the low block. That created problems for Allen when the main part of his game is to attack the rim. When the Wildcats were getting in his path and when it was getting physical, Allen had to find other ways to get the ball towards the rim.

He finished the game shooting 6-15 from the field but had to earn his shots. It shows the growth that the sophomore has made and how quickly he has done so.

Supporting Cast Came Up Big In Other Ways

Allen was the only Utah player to reach double figures in scoring. But, four other players nearly reached that threshold with Branden Carlson, Riley Battin and Mikael Jantunen each scoring 9 points apiece. Both Gach added 8 points.

Carlson added 8 rebounds and 2 blocks in 30 minutes on the floor, Battin pulled down 10 rebounds and dished out two assists and Jantunen had 9 rebounds. Gach was playing the point guard position for nearly the entire game due to the absence of freshman point guard Rylan Jones, who missed the game with an injury he suffered last Saturday against Central Arkansas. Gach had 6 rebounds and 3 assist in 37 minutes on the court.

.@TutBoth with steal and 2-handed flush! Timeout Weber State.

🔴 15 | 🐱13#GoUtes🏀🔴 pic.twitter.com/l3TfZQS2EP

— Utah Basketball🏀 (@UtahMBB) December 14, 2019

Utah Won Despite Poor Shooting

The Utes had to dig deep in the game and find other ways to be productive to pull out the win. In the first half, Utah shot 38 percent, 31 percent in the second half and 34 percent for the entire game. From downtown, the Utes went 5-25 for 20 percent. They had to rely on their defense and score in transition and that’s what they did to get the win. Utah scored 11 points off of 9 Weber State turnovers and limited them to just 33 percent shooting from the field.

Utah stayed aggressive on the offensive end and forced their way to the free throw line. They connected on 15-19 from the charity stripe. Weber State made just 7-13 from the foul line.

The Utes improved their record to 8-2 on the season and will head to Las Vegas to face No. 8 Kentucky at T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday, December 18. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN2.

The Crimson Corner podcast is the one-stop for all things University of Utah Athletics hosted by Utah insider Trevor Allen. Ute fans will find interviews with current players, coaches, and staff alongside expert analysis of every game, story and angle coming out of the University of Utah.

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