The University of Utah survived a late rally with some clutch free throw shooting down the stretch to defeat Cal State Fullerton 76-73 Saturday night.
Freshman Keith Van Horn had 20 points and eight rebounds, while Mark Rydalch added 16 points, including all 10 of his free-throw attempts. Darroll Wright scored 13 in his first game for the Utes this season after being suspended by coach Rick Majerus for an off-court incident.The Utes hit 90 percent of their free throws, sinking 28 out of 31 on the night. During the last 1:22 when the Titans were making a late run, the Utes sank eight straight free throws.
"That was a nice win for us," said Ute coach Rick Majerus. "I was happy with the way we played down the stretch. We made some big free throws."
Utah stretched a 37-30 halftime lead to as many as 12 points. But Winston Peterson scored seven straight points for Fullerton (1-3) to make it 64-59 with less than five minutes to play in the game.
The Titans got as close as three points four other times, but Wright hit four straight free throws, Rydalch hit two and Terry Preston hit a pair of free throws with 17 seconds remaining to preserve the victory for Utah (5-2).
Peterson led all scorers with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Darren Little added 21 for the Titans.
Fullerton took an early lead and had its biggest advantage at 17-7. But the Utes tied it 27-27 on Rydalch's 3-pointer and took the lead for good on a basket by Van Horn.
The Utes return home to face in-state rival Utah State Wednesday night at the Huntsman Center in their last game prior to Christmas.