SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 Sports) - The Utes put together three unanswered runs of 10 points or more and freshman guard Kareem Storey turned in his first career double-double with 11 assists and 10 points, but the University of Utah men’s basketball team (5-17, 2-8 Pac-12) fell to Oregon (16-6, 7-3 Pac-12) by a 79-68 score Thursday at the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
Storey handed out a career-high 11 assists, which was the most by a Ute since Luka Drca against Colorado State on March 4, 2008. Storey only committed one turnover and is the only Ute other than Jason Washburn to produce a double-double this season. He also became the first Ute to log a double-double with points and assists since Mark Jackson posted 11 points and 10 helpers against Air Force on Feb. 24, 2005.
Utah turned in a 41.7% from the floor and the Utes also connected on 9-of-19 3-point attempts for a 47.4%.
Junior guard Chris Hines turned in a team-high 20 points for his second career 20-point effort. He was just one point shy of his career high, a 21-point effort came at Stanford on Jan. 12. It was his 18th career double-figure game and ninth this season.
Junior wing Cedric Martin poured in 15 points on a 4-of-7 effort from the floor and also corralled six rebounds. It was his eighth game of 10 points or more this season.
Sophomore forward Javon Dawson tied his career high with eight points after connecting on three of his four field goal attempts. He also grabbed six rebounds and was 2-of-3 from the foul line.
Washburn climbed the boards for a game-high nine rebounds in addition to five points.
In a back-and-forth first half, the Utes fell behind 7-3 early in the first half before launching a 5-0 run to take their first lead of the contest, 8-7. The Ducks fought back with a 7-0 stretch before a Hines’ 3-pointer brought Utah back within four, before Utah returned the favor with a 10-0 to regain an 18-14 advantage. Oregon answered with eight straight points to assume a 22-18 edge, but Utah then ripped off 11 straight to grab their largest lead to that point, 29-22. But with Utah holding a 36-30 advantage, the Ducks countered once more with a 6-2 spurt to tie the game for the fourth time at halftime, at 36 points apiece. The Utes connected on seven of their first eight field goal attempts and wound up with a 52.5 shooting percentage. Hines led the way with a game-high-tying 12 points, while Martin poured in seven. Storey tied his career high with seven assists, compared to just one turnover.
The Ducks scored five of the first seven points of the second half and led 41-38 before another 11-0 Utah run gave the home team a 49-41 lead. Unfortunately with Utah holding a 52-49 edge, Oregon came back with an 11-3 stretch to take the lead back, 58-55. UO built its lead to nine, 68-59, via a 10-0 run en route to a 79-68 victory.
Utah hosts Oregon State on Saturday. Tip-off from the Huntsman Center is set for 3 p.m. MT.
