Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- Mike Sharavjamts excelled off the bench, scoring 15 points in Utah's 89-59 win.
- Mason Madsen also contributed 15 points, all from 3-pointers, against Florida A&M.
- Utah forced 18 turnovers, leading to 27 points, despite struggling with free throws.
SALT LAKE CITY — Mike Sharavjamts adapted easily to his new role of coming off the bench for the Runnin' Utes.
After being tabbed as a starter for the first part of the season and getting only 4 total minutes of game time on Saturday, Sharavjamts answered in a big way with the second unit on Tuesday.
The player known as "Shark" was back in action with back-to-back 3-pointers in his first few minutes en route to a team-leading 13-point first-half performance against an outmatched Florida A&M team. Sharavjamts had three made 3-pointers in the first half, while finding a better rhythm with the team in a secondary role.
He finished the night with 15 points in 18 minutes as Utah rolled to a 89-59 win over Florida A&M.
"I thought he responded in a great way," Utah head coach Craig Smith said. "And sometimes it just gives you a different look. When you see the game, maybe through a different lens, maybe you relax a little bit. Certainly had the ball in his hands a little bit more tonight, which maybe helped him, as well.
"Bringing Mike off the bench tonight, different look," he added. "Mike handled it in a professional manner and in a great way."
Mason Madsen added a season-high 15 points, all of which came from behind the 3-point line; and Ezra Ausar netted 12 points, while Lawson Lovering contributed 10 points and five rebounds in the win.
The Rattlers had two players finish in double-figure scoring, with Kaleb Washington leading the way with 11 points, three rebounds and three assists; and Jordan Chatman added 10 points, including three 3-pointers, in the loss.
Utah (8-2) opened up its penultimate nonconference game on a 10-0 run, and expanded it to an 18-3 lead before Florida A&M (3-6) started to hit shots at a higher rate. And while Utah's defense made it tough on the Rattlers, the visiting team made a majority of their shots from behind the arc.
Of Florida A&M's 10 made field goals in the first half, seven of them ended up being made 3-pointers on 47% shooting from deep.
But outside of the occasional 3-point threat, the Rattlers had little to be proud about in the post with Utah outscoring Florida A&M 44-20 in the paint.
"I think that our best offense is sometimes our defense, just because we're so lethal in transition," Madsen said. "I think we know that; that's been an emphasis for us is just getting the ball up the floor. So we know that when we get stops, when we force turnovers, good things happen offensively, too. But it starts on defense."
That defense forced Florida A&M into 18 turnovers in the game, which led to 27 points on the other end. And then on the offensive side of the ball, Utah did well to share the ball, assisting on 25 of the team's 34 made baskets.
Utah built up a big lead early, but got a little "loose," according to Smith, and lacked the same consistency that made the team successful in the first part of the game. Smith described it as a "disjointed game" that featured a "really good offense," but lacked a rhythm at times as players chased their own stats a bit.
Though it was a clear advantage for the Utes at home against a team ranked No. 304 in NET, Utah didn't make everything look easy. As a team, the Utes shot 38% from the free-throw line in the first half and finished the night shooting 42% from the charity stripe.
And though Utah has athletes that can hit at a consistent rate from anywhere on the floor, free-throw shooting of late has been a bugaboo for the team (and has been a consistent theme for Utah teams the last few years).
"It just comes with reps, but at the end of the day, that's just confidence, to be real," Ezra Ausar said. "That ain't nothing but confidence; it's a free throw."
"I think that free-throw shooting is one of those things that can be contagious, too," Madsen added. "And it kind of becomes a thing when you make it a thing. And so I think that, obviously, we've got to get reps in, but then it just comes down to you make it in games and people forget that you were missing them early. So it's just a rhythm thing."
Utah closes out its nonconference slate Saturday in a neutral game setting in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, against Iowa. The Utes last played the Hawkeyes earlier in the year in the second round of the NIT, where Utah won 91-82.
