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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Nazieh Carter’s career-high 18 points carry Washington over Utah 69-53

Washington guard David Crisp  shoots as Utah forward Timmy Allen  defends during the first half  Thursday  in Salt Lake City. (Rick Bowmer / AP)
Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY – Nazieh Carter scored a career-high 18 points and David Crisp added 17 points to lead Washington over Utah 69-53 on Thursday night in Pac-12 men’s basketball.

Crisp was 5 of 7 and Carter 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 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. 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 led to 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 collapsing defenders.

Washington won its first true road game and has 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 found their touch from beyond the arc, hitting 41 percent.

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 cut UW’s lead to 47-42, but the Huskies ratcheted up the pressure again and went on a 12-0 run, capped by Carter’s jumper, to make it 59-42.