Utah Utes vs Ohio Bobcats Box Score on Nov 22, 2019

Timmy Allen scored 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds, Both Gach added 18 points, and Utah cruised to an 80-66 win over Ohio on Friday in second-round action at the Myrtle Beach Invitational in Conway, S.C.

The Utes (4-1) rebounded from a sluggish offensive performance in a Thursday night loss to host Coastal Carolina. Just one Ute scored in double figures in that one. On Friday, four players hit that mark, with Rylan Jones adding 17 points and Riley Battin contributing 10 points.

Utah will conclude tournament play Sunday against Tulane, the same day Ohio will oppose Middle Tennessee.

The Bobcats (3-3) endured a 4:46 scoring drought in the first half that put them in a hole from which they could not climb. Utah scored 13 unanswered points in that stretch to build a double-digit lead it maintained the rest of the way.

The Utes lead expanded to as many as 21 points. Ohio's cold shooting from the floor -- 24 of 56 (42.9 percent), including 6 of 24 from behind the 3-point arc -- left the Bobcats playing catch-up from 14 or more down much of the second half.

In one sequence, a Ben Roderick 3-pointer, a five-second violation on the ensuing Utah inbounds pass, and a three-point play for Lunden McDay cut the deficit to 10 points with two minutes remaining. However, Ohio could get no closer.

Jason Preston led the Bobcats with a game-high 21 points, and he dished four assists. Ben Vander Plas added 13 points and four rebounds. McDay scored eight, and Nolan Foster added seven points and five rebounds off the bench.

Utah's near-perfect 27-of-28 free-throw shooting for the night kept the Bobcats at bay down the stretch, with the Utes scoring their final 11 points at the foul line. Battin had the lone miss with 29 seconds left in the game.

One night after shooting a dismal 5 of 28 (17.9 percent) from 3-point range, Utah hit 7 of 15 (46.7 percent) from deep on Friday. Jones set the pace at 3-for-5. Jaxon Brenchley made two off the bench for all six of his points. Mikael Jantunen added eight points.

--Field Level Media