Erratic performance dooms Washington State to 77-63 loss at Utah

When Washington State attempted to rally, the Utah Utes always had an answer.

WSU never led during Thursday’s Pac-12 matchup. The Cougars managed to stay on the Utes’ heels for most of the night, but WSU’s spurts of momentum were erratic during a 77-63 loss at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.

“They played with more purpose,” WSU coach Kyle Smith said of Utah. “They executed better.”

The Cougars (9-11, 4-5 Pac-12) gradually climbed back into the game after trailing by 14 points with about 15 minutes remaining.

WSU trimmed the deficit to five points at the 9:27 mark, but Utah guard Gabe Madsen hit a running 3-pointer out of a timeout and the Utes re-extended their lead with a 7-0 run. The Cougars surged again, cutting the Utes’ advantage to six points with 4:28 on the clock, but Utah (13-7, 6-3) outscored the visitors 13-5 the rest of the way.

“We weren’t able to get enough stops down the stretch to make it competitive at the end of the game,” Smith said. “Defensive effort wasn’t good enough.”

The Utes snapped a three-game skid and ended WSU’s three-game winning streak. The Cougars fell to 1-9 on the road against Utah since the Utes joined the Pac-12 in 2011.

“Hats off to Utah. They played really well, start to finish,” Smith said. “They really executed on both ends of the floor.

“You can’t win on the road unless … you match that.”

WSU, the Pac-12’s top 3-point shooting team, had one of its least-efficient performances of the season , hitting 6 of 23 (26%) on 3-pointers and finishing 34.4% from the field.

“(The Utes) pretty much said they weren’t going to leave our shooters open,” Smith said. “Off of the offensive rebounds, we got some good looks. We just didn’t bury them. … You gotta make them. You gotta play above your level sometimes to get a road win in this league.”

WSU recorded 15 offensive rebounds against eight for the hosts, but the Cougars scored only 11 second-chance points.

Utah shot 55.4% from the field and 9 of 22 (41%) from deep.

Utes center Branden Carlson went on a solo 10-0 run late in the first half to provide his team an eight-point cushion at halftime after WSU had erased a 10-point deficit and tied the score at 29 with 2:54 left.

“That’s deflating,” Smith said. “Our body language wasn’t good. Those things happen in games. You can’t hang your head. You hang your head, you pay. I think that’s what happened to us tonight.”

The Utes used a 4-for-5 shooting start in the second half to restore their double-digit lead.

Carlson, a senior, struggled with foul trouble and was limited to seven points during the teams’ first meeting, a 67-65 overtime win for Utah on Dec. 4 in Pullman. But the 7-foot senior was the best player on the floor during the rematch. He scored a career-high 28 points – 21 in the first half – on 11-of-12 shooting, and added eight rebounds and two blocks.

Carlson banked in a fading jumper and completed a three-point play with 1:47 left to stretch the Utah lead to 13 points.

“He really alters a lot of shots,” Smith said of Carlson. “Offensively, he just had good poise.

“He made everything. … He can really score at all levels. He’s a really good low-post scorer. He can shoot 3s (3 of 4). He’s a good athlete. He can put it on the floor and drive. He looks like an NBA player to me.”

Center Mouhamed Gueye spearheaded WSU’s comeback attempt, scoring 13 of his 20 points in the second half. The 6-11 sophomore shot 8 of 10 from the foul line and snagged seven rebounds.

Cougars guard Jabe Mullins added 11 points – nine in the first half. Guard Justin Powell contributed 10 points and forward DJ Rodman had nine points and eight rebounds.

WSU played its third consecutive game without guard TJ Bamba due to a hand injury. Bamba is a team captain and the Cougars’ leading scorer (15.1 points per game). He is also WSU’s best defensive guard.

“We just don’t have enough perimeter defense (without Bamba),” Smith said. “We need another mature guy.”

Smith said he is “hopeful” that Bamba returns for WSU’s matchup Sunday at Colorado. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. at the CU Events Center.