Utes Open Tour in Dramatic Fashion
Well, this has to be an encouraging sign for the Utes.
In the first game of their exhibition tour of Australia and their debut under new coach Jim Boylen, they fell behind by 16 points in the second half against the Perth Wildcats -- yet fought back to claim a 97-96 last-second victory at the Perry Lakes Stadium on Friday.
"It went pretty well," director of operations Jon Dykema reported.
You think?
The Utes were playing a 48-minute game with only eight players against a professional team that has won four Australian national championships, using a 24-second shot clock instead of the 35-second version used in college. And while they predictably endured some foul trouble, the Utes also held together to win in dramatic fashion.
Guard Johnnie Bryant drove "pretty much the length of the court," Dykema said, and laid the ball in with two seconds left for the 97-96 lead, before Perth's Rashad Phillips missed a desperation three-pointer at the final horn.
Forward Stephen Weigh enjoyed the game of his life in his native country, scoring 32 points with nine rebounds -- and making 8-of-12 shots behind a three-point line that was nine inches farther from the basket than in college. Forward Shaun Green finished with 17 points and eight rebounds in just 20 foul-plagued minutes, while center Luke Nevill scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half, when the Utes used a 12-0 run to get back into the game.
"Coach was really happy with Luke and how he battled back," Dykema said. "They were really physical with him, but he really fought back."
That's a good start.
Now, the Utes will see if they can keep it up; they play the Wildcats again on Saturday, before taking a day off and then playing a team from the Australian Institute for Sport.
In the first game of their exhibition tour of Australia and their debut under new coach Jim Boylen, they fell behind by 16 points in the second half against the Perth Wildcats -- yet fought back to claim a 97-96 last-second victory at the Perry Lakes Stadium on Friday.
"It went pretty well," director of operations Jon Dykema reported.
You think?
The Utes were playing a 48-minute game with only eight players against a professional team that has won four Australian national championships, using a 24-second shot clock instead of the 35-second version used in college. And while they predictably endured some foul trouble, the Utes also held together to win in dramatic fashion.
Guard Johnnie Bryant drove "pretty much the length of the court," Dykema said, and laid the ball in with two seconds left for the 97-96 lead, before Perth's Rashad Phillips missed a desperation three-pointer at the final horn.
Forward Stephen Weigh enjoyed the game of his life in his native country, scoring 32 points with nine rebounds -- and making 8-of-12 shots behind a three-point line that was nine inches farther from the basket than in college. Forward Shaun Green finished with 17 points and eight rebounds in just 20 foul-plagued minutes, while center Luke Nevill scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half, when the Utes used a 12-0 run to get back into the game.
"Coach was really happy with Luke and how he battled back," Dykema said. "They were really physical with him, but he really fought back."
That's a good start.
Now, the Utes will see if they can keep it up; they play the Wildcats again on Saturday, before taking a day off and then playing a team from the Australian Institute for Sport.
posted by www.sltrib.com @ 9:00 AM |
1 Comments:
Love the quick recap! I think everyone is excited to see what this team can do and this trip to Australia is a great start. Glad to see the team win a close one.
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