Utah guard Marco Anthony reaches to shoot against Manhattan
Utah guard Marco Anthony (10) reaches to shoot against Manhattan during an NCAA game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
Jay Drew
By Jay Drew
Jay has covered sports in Utah for more than 30 years and has been writing for the Deseret News since 2019.

The Runnin’ Utes rebounded nicely from Wednesday’s disjointed road loss to TCU, leading almost wire-to-wire and getting contributions from almost every healthy player on the roster in a 96-62 win over visiting Manhattan at the Huntsman Center on Saturday afternoon.

Here are three keys to Utah’s seventh win of the season:

• The Utes played arguably their best half of the season in the first half, outscoring the Jaspers 47-30 and dominating on both ends of the floor. They got even better in the second half, if that was possible, as the Jaspers ran out of gas and were blown off the floor by the deeper, bigger Utes.

• Manhattan’s Jose Perez entered the game averaging 13.4 points and 6.1 assists, but was bottled up by the Utes when it really mattered. He was 1 of 7 for six points in the first half as the Jaspers shot 33% in the first half and were out-rebounded 20-14. Perez only played one minute in the second half.

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Utah guard Both Gach (2) reacts while keeping the possession between Manhattan forward Samba Diallo, left, and forward Josh Roberts during an NCAA game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. | Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
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Manhattan forward Josh Roberts, center, reaches for a loose ball against Utah during an NCAA game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. | Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
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Manhattan guard Nick Brennen (55) passes around Utah forward Riley Battin (11) during an NCAA game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. | Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
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Utah center Lahat Thioune (0) gets caught up by Manhattan defenders during an NCAA game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. | Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
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Utah center Lahat Thioune (0) cheers after scoring a dunk during an NCAA game against Manhattan at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. | Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
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Utah guard Rollie Worster (25) goes past Manhattan guard Ant Nelson during an NCAA game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. | Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
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Manhattan guard Marques Watson, center, attempts to pass past Utah forward Riley Battin (11) as guard Gabe Madsen guards during an NCAA game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. | Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
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Utah guard Lazar Stefanovic (20) reaches for a loose ball against Manhattan during an NCAA game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. | Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
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Utah center Lahat Thioune, right, and Manhattan forward Warren Williams reaches for the ball during an NCAA game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. | Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
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Manhattan guard Elijah Buchanan looks to pass the ball against Utah during an NCAA game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. | Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
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Manhattan guard Elijah Buchanan (30) attempts to shoot past Utah guard Rollie Worster, back during an NCAA game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. | Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
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Manhattan head coach Steve Masiello reacts during an NCAA game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. | Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
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Utah head coach Craig Smith watches the game against Manhattan at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. | Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
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Manhattan guard Romar Reid (2) shoots past Utah guard Jaxon Brenchley (5) during an NCAA game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. | Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
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Manhattan guard Ant Nelson (3) looks to pass through Utah defenders during an NCAA game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. | Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
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Manhattan guard Elijah Buchanan, left, reaches for a block as Utah forward Riley Battin attempts to shoot during an NCAA game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. | Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
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Utah guard Jaxon Brenchley (5) looks to pass past Manhattan forward Josh Roberts, right, during an NCAA game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. | Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
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Utah guard Marco Anthony, left, and Manhattan guard Romar Reid fight for the possession of the ball during an NCAA game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. | Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
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Utah guard Marco Anthony (10) reaches to shoot against Manhattan during an NCAA game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. | Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
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Manhattan forward Josh Roberts, left, takes the possession of the ball against Utah during an NCAA game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. | Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
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Utah center Lahat Thioune, left, goes for a shot as Manhattan forward Warren Williams jumps to block during an NCAA game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. | Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
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Utah guard Rollie Worster (25) looks to pass past Manhattan forward Warren Williams (0) during an NCAA game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. | Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
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Utah center Lahat Thioune (0) and Manhattan forward Josh Roberts, right, reach to take possession of the ball during an NCAA game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. | Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News

• Coach Craig Smith mixed up his starting lineup, benching the struggling David Jenkins Jr. and reinserting previously injured Marco Anthony into the starting five. Jenkins Jr. didn’t enter the game until 12:56 remained in the first half, and by then the Utes were up 16-8 and really rolling offensively.

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Lahat Thioune scored 16 points off the bench, a career-high, while Riley Battin added 14 points and seven rebounds.

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