Utah Utes vs Washington St. Cougars Box Score on Jan 21, 2021

Five players scored in double figures Thursday night as Utah snapped a 13-game road losing streak, never trailing in a 71-56 Pac-12 Conference win over Washington State in Pullman.

Branden Carlson led the way with 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Utes (6-6, 3-5), who beat the Cougars for the 13th straight time. Timmy Allen added 13 points, while Alfonso Plummer and reserve Riley Battin each scored 12. Mikael Jantunen hit for 10 points.

Rylan Jones dished out 10 assists as Utah connected on 54.9 percent of its field goal attempts. The Utes drew 19 assists on 28 made baskets, and nearly doubled up Washington State 38-22 in points in the paint.

Noah Williams scored a game-high 17 points for the Cougars (9-5, 2-5), but leading scorer Isaac Bonton managed just four on 1 of 8 shooting. Efe Abogidi added 12 for Washington State, which hit just 20 of 53 shots (37.7 percent) and were outrebounded 32-25.

After blowing a 12-point halftime lead Saturday night in a dreadful home loss to California, Utah wasn't going to let the Cougars hang around. The Utes pushed a 17-point halftime advantage to 21 quickly in the second half and were able to cruise for the game's remainder.

Utah set an immediate tone by punching inside to Carlson for short jumpers on its first two possessions. The Utes used their height to great advantage, opening up a 23-9 lead just over 10 minutes into the game while making just one 3-pointer.

Washington State made one short burst, closing within 28-19 as Myles Warren drained a 3-pointer with 6:51 left in the half. But Battin's short jumper in the lane restored a double-figure lead seconds later, and it stayed there for the game's remainder.

Plummer stroked a 3-pointer from the top of the key in the final minute of the first half that upped the margin to 18, and Utah settled for a 43-26 halftime cushion.

The Utes were a blistering 18 of 27 (66.7 percent) from the field and owned a 26-10 advantage in paint points.

--Field Level Media