Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY — Nahziah Carter scored a career-high 18 points and David Crisp added 17 points to lead the Washington men’s basketball team over Utah 69-53 on Thursday night.
Crisp was 5 of-7 and Carter was 3 of 4 from beyond the arc and the Huskies defense held the Utes to a season low in points.
Jayce Johnson led the Utes with 12 points before leaving the game in the final minutes after getting hit in the face and falling to the court. Donnie Tillman had 10 for the Utes, who missed 24 of their 30 3-point attempts.
Both teams were knocked from their normal offensive flows by the defensive pressure at times. The Utes also played man-to-man defense, but the Huskies stuck with their trademark zone and extended it to chase the Utes off the 3-point line or force awkward attempts.
The Huskies’ quick hands and length created dozens of deflections, forced 16 turnovers and nine blocked shots. The Utes were determined to pass into the middle of the zone, but even when the ball got there, they often couldn’t navigate the gauntlet of collapsing defenders.
Washington won its first true road game and has now logged four wins in a row, snapping Utah’s six-game winning streak in the series.
Following his season high of 23 against Washington State last week, Crisp had a no-hesitation release even when closely guarded. Utah led 15-13 before Crisp buried four straight 3s. Since Pac-12 play began, the Huskies have suddenly found their touch from beyond the arc, hitting 41 percent of their attempts.
Jaylen Nowell and Noah Dickerson, Washington’s leading scorers, had a combined two points at halftime and yet the Huskies led 38-30.
The Huskies made a concerted effort to feed Dickerson on the post and he responded with seven straight points to open the second half and Washington led by 15.
A rare Utah 3-pointer by Sedrick Barefield got the Utes back within 47-42, but the Huskies ratcheted up the pressure once again and went on a 12-0 run, capped by Carter’s jumper to give UW a 59-42 lead.
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