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Utah rallies to stun Washington 67-66

Utah forward Mikael Jantunen celebrates as Washington forward RaeQuan Battle looks on at the end of their game Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020, in Salt Lake City. (Rick Bowmer / AP)
By John Coon Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY – Riley Battin scored 17 points and Rylan Jones hit several critical free throws in the final minutes to help Utah rally for a 67-66 victory over Washington on Thursday night.

Jones and Timmy Allen added 13 points apiece to help Utah snap a four-game losing streak. The Utes won despite shooting 34% from the field and not scoring a basket in the final 3:59 of the game.

Jalen McDaniels scored 14 points to lead the Huskies. Isaiah Stewart added 13 points. Hameir Wright scored 12 points and collected nine rebounds for Washington. The Huskies committed 17 turnovers, leading to 21 points for Utah.

Utah cut a seven-point Washington lead to one after Wright and McDaniels committed three fouls in 28 seconds. Both players fouled out, and the Utes made six free throws – with four coming from Jones – to pull within 62-61 with 2:04 left.

Jones hit a pair of go-ahead free throws with 14.1 seconds remaining. Jamal Bay was called for a charge on Battin with 0.8 seconds left, sealing the Utes’ comeback win.

Both teams struggled to generate momentum on offense in the first half. Utah shot just 30% from the field, which included 2 of 13 from 3-point range. Washington had a difficult time hanging onto the ball with 10 turnovers that led to 11 points for the Utes.

Utah initially surged out of the gates. The Utes made three straight baskets, capped by a jumper from Battin, to take a 7-0 lead. Then Utah went cold. The Utes managed just two more baskets over a 12-minute stretch.

It opened the door for the Huskies to charge ahead. Nahziah Carter and Stewart scored back-to-back layups to cap a 15-2 run that gave Washington a 19-12 lead.

Battin buried back-to-back 3-pointers to pull the Utes within a point at 20-19. McDaniels answered with a jumper to keep Utah from reclaiming the lead.

Battin made a pair of free throws to help Utah tie it at 30 early in the second half. Starting with another McDaniels jumper, the Huskies made four straight baskets to surge ahead again and claim a 38-30 lead.