Huskies lose battle of big men, get humbled in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY – The 7-footers figured to decide this mile-high matchup.

On one side there was Washington Husky Braxton Meah. On the other, Utah’s Branden Carlson.

The anticipated battle of the Pac-12’s promising big men never materialized because the Utes double-teamed Meah whenever he touched the ball and forced him to be a spectator for most of Saturday’s game.

Carlson maneuvered in, out and around UW’s 2-3 zone for a game-high 25 points to hand the Huskies a humbling 86-61 defeat at Huntsman Center that snapped their three-game winning streak.

Keion Brooks Jr. led the Huskies (12-9, 4-6 Pac-12) with 17 points. Cole Bajema scored 13 and Noah Williams 10.

The Husky trio was no match for Carlson, who had five dunks, hit a 3-pointer and collected eight rebounds to power a Utes offense that shot 51.5% and dominated the rebounding battle 48-30.

Unlike Thursday’s 75-72 win at Colorado when it led for nearly 38 minutes, Washington trailed from the start and never found much of an offensive flow while shooting 34.8%.

The Huskies were down 17-13 when the Utes hit them with a 15-0 run over a 3-minute stretch that included three 3-pointers.

First, Wilguens Exacte Jr. hit a 3. Following two Utes free throws and a couple of layups, Gabe Madsen made a corner 3-pointer.

On the ensuing possession, Keion Menifield had a pass intercepted that sparked a Utes fast break and another Madsen 3 on the wing that gave Utah a 32-13 lead with 8:43 left in the first half.

That’s when Mike Hopkins turned to reserve forward Langston Wilson to comprise a big front line featuring forward Brooks and Meah.

The Huskies outscored the Utes 15-6 over a 6-minute stretch to cut their deficit to 36-28. Washington couldn’t sustain its momentum and Utah closed the first half with an 8-2 run to go up 42-30 at halftime.

The Huskies never got any closer in the second half. Luka Tarlac essentially put the game away when he drove from the perimeter for a dunk that gave Utah a 55-35 lead with 14:31 left.

Hopkins resorted to a full-court press in hopes of forcing turnovers and create some extra possessions. The tactic worked for a bit and Williams’ three-pointer cut UW deficit to 63-50 with 8:48 remaining.

However, too much Carlson and Gabe Madsen (17 points and three 3-pointers) proved fatal for Huskies.

Washington returns home for Thursday’s game against Arizona State.