Northern Arizona Lumberjacks vs Utah Utes Box Score on Dec 21, 2018

Sedrick Barefield scored 15 points and Riley Battin added 13 points to lead Utah to a 76-62 nonconference win over Northern Arizona on Friday in Salt Lake City.

The Utes (6-5) shot 49.2 percent from the floor and scored 16 points off 10 Northern Arizona turnovers. Timmy Allen contributed 12 points for Utah, which earned its second consecutive victory following a stretch of three losses in four games.

Brooks Debisschop scored 16 points and Luke Avdalovic added 15 points to lead the Lumberjacks (2-8). Northern Arizona shot just 40.4 percent from the field en route to its seventh straight loss.

Utah staggered out of the gate, turning the ball over four times in the first four minutes. That sluggish start gave Northern Arizona some early momentum, and the Lumberjacks found a way to hang around throughout the first half.

Northern Arizona jumped out to a quick 8-4 lead behind back-to-back jumpers from Carlos Hines. The Lumberjacks still led 19-18 after Debisschop scored a layup, but then Utah finally started pulling away.

Barefield capped a 7-0 run with a 3-pointer to put the Utes in front 25-19. Northern Arizona pulled close again, trimming Utah's lead to 31-28 on a pair of free throws from Cameron Shelton.

The Utes were up 38-30 at halftime.

Utah pulled away early in the second half. Parker Van Dyke and Battin drilled back-to-back 3-pointers early in the half to spark a 15-4 run. Donnie Tillman capped it off with a dunk, giving Utah a 55-36 lead with 13:34 left.

Following an seven-day layoff, Utah plays its next two games against ranked foes, vs. No. 6 Nevada on Dec. 29 and at No. 18 Arizona State on Jan. 3.

The Lumberjacks head home for contests against Montana on Dec. 29 and Montana State on Dec. 31.

--Field Level Media