More heartbreak: Runnin' Utes fall late to sixth-seeded Oregon in Pac-12 quarterfinal


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LAS VEGAS — The Utah men's basketball team hoped to do more than it did in the Pac-12 Tournament last year, when it lost in the opening round by Cal at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

A run in the tournament — even without the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament given to the champion over four days — could land the Utes one of the coveted 68 selections Sunday night on TBS.

But history, often cruelly, has a strange way of repeating itself.

MiKyle Macintosh had 18 points, including the go-ahead score during a 10-2 run with about two minutes left, and Oregon rallied to stun the Runnin' Utes, 68-66 late Thursday night.

Elijah Brown led the Ducks (22-11) with 21 points, including a 7-of-12 mark from 3-point range.

"Elijah Brown had seven threes, and hit a couple of big shots. They shot 17 free throws in the second half; I thought that was probably the biggest difference in the game," Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak said. "We had a hard time not keeping them off the free-throw line. I thought it was big boy basketball, but there were a lot of fouls being called."

Justin Bibbins poured in 20 points, and David Collette added 16 points on 8-of-9 shooting and a hobbled ankle for the Utes.

Sedrick Barefield supplied 11 points and three rebounds for the Utes (22-11).

"We knew it was going to be tough," Collette said. "There's no easy win in this conference.

"We just didn’t have what it takes to finish it off … At the end of the day, it was a hard-fought battle. We made some mistakes and came up short."

Utah's Tyler Rawson, who had seven points with two clutch 3-pointers, fouled out with 1:14 remaining on a play that Oregon used to take a 65-64 edge. Donnie Tillman gave the lead back to the Utes on two foul shots on the next possession.

But Collette fouled out with 1:02 on the clock on McIntosh’s and-one play that gave the Ducks all the advantage they would need.

The Utes had two chances to win it in the final seconds, but Barefield's 3-pointer with 40 seconds left was off the mark and Oregon's Kenny Wooten blocked his layup attempt just before the buzzer to seal the win.

"Nobody wants to watch college basketball when guys sit on the bench with foul trouble," Krystkowiak said. "What other sport is there on the planet where you penalize players for fouling? Nothing. Soccer? Baseball? People come, and you look at how many fouls are called.

"I give Oregon a lot of credit. They did exactly what they needed to do to beat us. But overall, we are making a big mistake with five fouls and having players sit on the bench."

The Ducks shot just 37 percent from the field, including 9-of-23 from 3-point range. The Utes, who shot 54 percent in the second half but shot six fewer foul shots, took a five-point lead at halftime.

Every time Oregon made a run, the Utes had an answer to stay in front — even if by narrow margins. The defense was, frankly, exceptional.

Until the final two minutes.

"We held them to (68) points, and they shot in the 30s. That’s a great game," Bibbins said. "They just made shots down the stretch, and if they didn't make those, it would be a different story."

Utah forward David Collette dunks during a Pac 12 Tournament quarterfinal against Oregon at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Photo: Ravell Call, Deseret News)
Utah forward David Collette dunks during a Pac 12 Tournament quarterfinal against Oregon at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Photo: Ravell Call, Deseret News)

Surprise, surprise

Utah started slow, but surprise-starter David Collette paced a 7-0 run that gave the Utes a 7-5 lead inside the first media timeout.

Collette, a senior from Murray who injured his ankle in the regular-season finale against Colorado, said there was "no question" he was going to play Thursday night even after Krystkowiak pronounced him doubtful prior to the Utes' practice Wednesday at a Las Vegas-area high school.

"He played great," Krystkowiak said. "There aren't too many people who are going to be playing on that. I give him a hell of a lot of credit, and I give our training staff a hell of a lot of credit.

"We just needed him on the floor for more than 19 minutes."

His teammates noticed his presence, even in extreme pain, too.

"It's March. You’re a senior. You’ve got to have a broken foot to be out," Bibbins said. "He knows what was at stake, and you saw what he did out there."

Pac-12 Notebook

Next up

Oregon advances to face second-seeded Southern California at 9:30 p.m. MST Friday in Las Vegas. The Trojans rolled Oregon State, 61-48, in an earlier quarterfinal.

In the other semifinal, top-seeded Arizona will play No. 4-seed UCLA at 7 p.m. MST.

Utah returns home to await its postseason fate, likely in the second-tier National Invitation Tournament.

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