Utah punctuates end of nonconference play with its most dominant effort of the preseason

The Utah Runnin’ Utes pulled away after halftime to win easily over the Bellarmine Knights, 85-43, in their final nonconference game of the season on Wednesday at the Huntsman Center.

The key stretch

After a fairly even first 14 minutes of the game in which Bellarmine shot 50% from the field, the Runnin’ Utes finally created some space by locking down defensively.

Over the first half’s final six minutes, Utah went on a 14-4 run to build a 37-26 halftime lead.

The Knights made just 1 of 9 field goals to end the half, while the Utes got 3-pointers from Gabe Madsen, Cole Bajema and Ben Carlson to help fuel that run.

“They play a pretty unselfish style of basketball and it’s not super popular in college basketball. We don’t get a lot of games against it,” Utah guard Hunter Erickson said of Bellarmine.

“It just took us a minute to get used to that passing and cutting, passing and cutting, figuring out how to defend the 3 and the cuts off-ball. Once we got a feel for that in the game, I felt it just started coming together after that.”

Bellarmine never pulled within single digits in the second half as Utah extended its lead while shooting 52.8% in the final 20 minutes and 50% on the night. The Knights shot just 25% in the second half and 32.7% overall.

The 43 points Bellarmine scored are the fewest Utah has given up so far this season.

“It’s not the Princeton offense but there are a lot of traits that are similar to the Princeton, so it puts you in some different positions that way,” Utah coach Craig Smith said of Bellarmine’s offense.

“I thought we did a really good job of communication. It might have been our best game of the year the way we communicated as a team.” 

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Other takeaways

Stars of the night: Lawson Lovering scored 17 points on 8 of 10 shooting and had seven rebounds (a team-high three on the offensive glass) and three assists.

“I was just getting what they gave me,” Lovering said.

Thirteen of those points came in the game’s first 14 minutes to help Utah stay out in front early.

“I thought Lawson Lovering was outstanding tonight in every way,” Smith said. “The way he communicated, the way he defended. He’s such a good defender in terms of understanding spacing and scheme.”

Madsen scored 12 points — all on 3-pointers, including three early in the second half — and had four steals, while Erickson came off the bench and contributed 10 points, three assists and three steals with a blocked shot.

Bench points: The Utes were able to empty their bench in the win, and outscored Bellarmine 38-8 in bench points.

Turnover edge: Utah forced Bellarmine into 23 turnovers and scored 28 points off those miscues. The Utes had 11 turnovers that led to 7 Knights points.

“Our communication got a lot better in the second half,” Lovering said. “Coach said that after the game, and I think what’s helped us secure those balls and all those steals, get out in transition. It starts with the defensive end first.”

How Deivon Smith looked: Deivon Smith, the Georgia Tech transfer, played his second game since a court injunction was agreed upon that will allow multiple-time transfers to play through the end of the 2023-24 academic year.

While he’s still getting up to game-action speed with teammates he’s been practicing with for months, Deivon Smith flashed some of his potential, particularly during the second half.

“I thought Deivon Smith kinda settled in. It was easy to see,” Craig Smith said. “He had two practices with (Branden Carlson), Gabe and Rollie (Worster) and getting those valuable minutes in practice to kind of get his rhythm and timing, so to speak, back. (He) kinda struggled a bit more in the first half but obviously really settled in in that second half.”

Just over six minutes into the game, Deivon Smith drove into the lane, drew a defender, then fed an open Keba Keita for a wide-open slam.

Smith’s first points as a Ute came with 11:18 to play in the second half when he took a pass above the arc, then drove into the lane a pulled up for a 12-foot jumper.

About a minute later, he fed Erickson for a 3, and Erickson repaid that kindness on the next possession, as he stole a pass near midcourt, then lobbed the ball off the backboard and Smith slammed it home for the most electric moment of the night.

Defensively, Smith also took a pair of charges and had a blocked shot and a steal.

The shifty guard played 17 minutes and finished with six points, four rebounds and two assists.

What’s next

The Utes (9-2) will take nearly a week and a half off before hosting a pair of games to start Pac-12 play.

Washington State will visit Utah on Dec. 29, and Washington will come to the Huntsman Center on Dec. 31 in the Utes’ sixth straight home game.

The Cougars are 8-2 and finish nonleague play with a home game against Boise State on Thursday, while the Huskies are 7-3 and host Eastern Washington on Thursday to wrap up nonconference action.