Ben Carlson missed a potential game-winning 3-point attempt from the corner on Saturday as Utah fell 66-65 to Oregon at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon, in the regular-season finale for both programs.
That capped what ended up being a thrilling back-and-forth contest, but one that came up a point short for the Runnin’ Utes.
3 takeaways
Top performers: N’Faly Dante took over in the second half and finished the game with 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Jermaine Couisnard (14 points) and Jackson Shelstad (12) also scored in double-figures for Oregon.
Branden Carlson scored 19 points and hit three 3-pointers while adding five rebounds despite not playing most of the second half after getting hurt, while Gabe Madsen scored 14 and hit four 3-pointers.
Turning point: Carlson left for the rest of the game after getting tangled up with Dante while battling for position near the hoop. He later returned to the Utes’ bench wearing ice on his left elbow.
The officials took a lengthy look at the play — even taking a second look on the monitors — and determined it to be incidental contact and no foul.
Utah had a five-point lead when Carlson left the game and was outscored 26-20 after that point.
Key stats: Utah turned over the ball 14 times, leading to 13 points for Oregon. The Ducks had 11 turnovers that led to eight Utah points.
Utah stayed in the contest by hitting 10 of 26 3-pointers, while Oregon made just 4 of 20. The Utes, though, had a 6 1/2-minute stretch in the second half when they didn’t hit a field goal and shot just 32.1% in the second half.
What’s next?
The Runnin’ Utes (18-13, 9-11 Pac-12) will head to the Pac-12 tournament next week at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Utah will be either the No. 6 or No. 7 seed, depending on the result from the UCLA-Arizona State game later Saturday night.