Short-Handed Runnin’ Utes Can’t Contain UCLA on the Road

SALT LAKE CITY – A short-handed Utah men’s basketball team fell to No. 7 UCLA on the road Thursday night inside Pauley Pavilion, 68-49.
 
First half action saw both teams exchange runs until the 7:49 mark when Utah called a timeout after UCLA went on a 7-0 spurt to take an 18-10 lead over the Utes. Both teams then began exchanging threes before Bostyn Holt took a rebound coast-to-coast to get the Runnin’ Utes within 31-22 of the Bruins before the clock struck zero for halftime.
 
The difference in the first half came on the offense glass with the Bruins turning eight offensive boards into a 12-2 edge over Utah. That same narrative continued into the rest of the game with UCLA converting 14 offensive rebounds into 21 total points at the end of the night.
 
Utah did its best in the second frame to keep pace with the home team but the No. 7 team in the country got hot and shot .552 (16-of-29) from the field in the final 20 minutes of action to hand the Runnin’ Utes the 68-49 loss.
 
Rollie Worster led Utah with 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting while Lazar Stefanovic chipped in with nine points.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
With the loss, Utah is now 2-4 all-time when facing an AP ranked UCLA team … Utah is now 69-157 all-time against AP ranked opponents and 3-12 all-time against No. 7 AP ranked opponents … Saunders Jr. made his first appearance since Dec. 13, 2022, vs. UTSA at home at the 4:09 mark in the first half … Jaxon Brenchley made his third-straight appearance after checking in at the 12:40 mark in the second half.
 
UP NEXT
Utah closes out its trip to Los Angeles this Saturday, Jan. 14, when it takes the court against USC for a 7:30 p.m. (MT) tip-off inside the Galen Center with Ted Robinson and Don MacLean guiding fans through the action on Pac-12 Networks.
 
For the latest news and information on the Runnin’ Utes men’s basketball program, fans can stay connected online at www.UtahUtes.com and on social media by following @UtahMBB on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
 

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