PULLMAN, Wash. — After plenty of lethargic play for most of the game, the Utes were able to find their identity late in the game.
The loss to Arizona seemed to have sucked a ton of momentum out of Utah on Saturday, and as the Utes took the floor to play the Washington State Cougars, it was clear that the momentum hadn't returned.
Utah stuck with the game plan and chipped away slowly until it was able to find its rhythm and shift the momentum back to its side. Once it did so, it was able to secure the 67-59 win over the Cougars.
Why Utah won: The Utes' Wooden Award candidate Delon Wright was the reason that Utah was able to get the victory. When Wright is playing the way he was, the high-screen action that Utah runs through him is nearly impossible to defend. Wright stayed calm and collected even when it looked like the Cougars would pull away.
Wright did a little of everything. He scored, rebounded, passed and played tremendous defense. When the final buzzer had sounded, Wright had finished with a game-high 18 points, a game-high eight assists and eight rebounds.
When things were going rough for Utah, Wright was the rock that the rest of the team could rely on. When the team got going, it was Wright fueling them every step of the way.
Turning point: The Utes really struggled to find any rhythm offensively in the game, but that changed with a little over seven minutes to go in the game, with Utah trailing Washington State by six points. During the timeout, the Utes found themselves.
The team came out of the timeout, and Wright drove into the paint and kicked it back out to an open Jordan Loveridge, who knocked down the open 3-pointer to start what would become an 11-2 run for the Utes. The run forced a timeout from the Cougars, with the Utes leading by three.
From that point, Utah never lost the lead again and was able to capture the victory.
Grading the teams: For most of the game, the Utes really struggled. They looked completely different from the dominant team that they have been all season long. They were sloppy with the ball, and in turn, lost the turnover battle, committing 10 to Washington State's seven. Utah finished with a below-average 40.4 percent from the field.
Defensively, the Utes allowed a team that has been extremely unsuccessful at scoring in the paint to do just that. The Cougars got a lot of easy buckets around the rim and were able to take advantage of some second-chance opportunities.
The Utes did rally in the end and were able to come away winning the rebound battle, assist battle and of course the game itself. Utah got a scare from a team that it was clearly better than, and that could be cause for concern. With the conference tournament coming up, the Utes have to be at their best, which is something they weren't against the Cougars.
Utah Runnin' Utes Grade: C+
After losing by 22 points in Salt Lake City in January, Washington State was more than happy with the score being close for most of the game.
Offensively, the Cougars did a great job of attacking the paint, a category in which they are normally among the bottom teams in the Pac-12. They did a good job of making good cuts and extra passes, which allowed them to get uncontested looks in the key.
Washington State was able to win the turnover battle, something that has been difficult to do for teams facing Utah.
Defensively, the Cougars seemed to do well with staying in front of the Utes, but once Utah found its rhythm, Washington's State's defense really got shredded. The Cougars had a tough time all game defending Wright, who picked his spots with ease, and was eventually able to rally his team to victory.
With a 12-17 record on the season, Washington State is a far inferior team to Utah, but it didn't seem like that on Thursday night. It was a close game against one of the best teams in the country, and that's more than the Cougars could've asked for.
Washington State Cougars grade: B
Three telling stats:
— Jakob Poeltl did not attempt a field goal or free throw in the game.
— Wright had more assists alone than the rest of Utah's players did combined.
— Utah's bench outscored Washington State's bench 14 to 8.
Up next: The Utes will stay in the state of Washington as they play the Washington Huskies Saturday afternoon. The Utes beat the Huskies in the first meeting 77-56. The game will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network.
You can follow Mitch Kunzler on Twitter at @MitchKunzler.