PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas — Playing a basketball game in the Bahamas was anything but paradise for Larry Krystkowiak's Utah team, as the Utes were run over by Harvard 75-47 in their opening round game of the Battle 4 Atlantis on Thursday night.
Utah (1-3) found themselves in a deep hole early in the game, as Harvard jumped out to a 21-4 lead in the first 81/2 minutes. During that stretch, the Utes made just 2 of 9 shots and committed six turnovers.
"We got (from Harvard) what we expected," said Krystkowiak. "When we played man-to-man defense, they hurt us with 3s. When we went into a zone, number 30 (Kyle Casey) and number 44 (Keith Wright) were tough on us down in the low blocks."
Harvard (4-0) jumped out to a 5-0 lead before Jason Washburn got the Utes on the board. Four steals helped the Crimson to a 10-0 run before Blake Wilkinson knocked down a 15 foot jumper to make it a 15-4 game. Wright, Steve Moundou-Missi and Jonah Travis all converted lay-ups in a run that gave Harvard their 21-4 advantage and the Utes never got closer than 14 points the rest of the game and trailed 49-24 at halftime.
"Things are not clicking right now and we need to have guys that will lay it on the line. I was pleased with the effort of the guys that were on the floor in the second half," added Krystkowiak.
Points off of turnovers and second-chance points did in the Utes as Harvard outscored them 16-5 in each of those statistical categories.
One bright spot for Utah was the play of Wilkinson, who Krystkowiak said had somewhat of a coming out party in the game, adding that he felt that Wilkinson seemed more comfortable coming off of the bench after starting the first three games.
The walk-on from Viewmont High School scored twelve points to share game honors with Josh Watkins after totaling just three points in the first three games combined. He added eight rebounds, three steals and one blocked shot.
"I am happy with my results for the game," said Wilkinson. "Hopefully, this will give me confidence."
Watkins also had 12 points with six rebounds and three assists, but left the game midway through the second half with a right leg injury. Chris Hines was the only other Utah player in double figures with eleven points, as the Utes shot just under 37 percent from the field, including 31 percent from 3-point range.
Wright, last season's Ivy League Player of the Year and a Wooden Award preseason top 50 selection, had 13 points and seven rebounds to pace Harvard. Also scoring 13 for the Crimson was Corbin Miller, a freshman out of Brighton High School, while Casey added 11.
"His (Miller's) Brighton team beat us in the first round of the state tournament in double overtime last year (63-61), so I guess he's 2-0 against me," added Wilkinson.
With the loss, Utah will face Massachusetts at 7:30 (MST) in the consolation bracket semifinals. UMass lost to Florida State 73-53. The Minutemen like to pressure the ball and that concerns Krystkowiak. "We committed 16 turnovers against a team tonight that doesn't press, so what are we going to do against a team tomorrow that pressures you all of the time."