SALT LAKE CITY – The 7-footers figured to decide this mile-high matchup.
On one side there was Husky Braxton Meah versus Utah’s Branden Carlson.
The anticipated battle of the Pac-12’s promising big men never materialized because Utes double teamed Meah whenever he touched the ball and forced him to be a spectator for most of Saturday’s game.
Carlson maneuvered in, out and around UW’s 2-3 zone for a game-high 25 points and hand the Huskies a humbling 86-61 defeat at Hunstman Center that snapped their three-game winning streak.
Keion Brooks Jr. led the Huskies (12-9, 4-6 Pac-12) with 17 points, while Cole Bajema had 13 and Noah Williams 10.
The Husky trio was no match for Carlson, who flushed five dunks, drained a three-pointer and collected eight rebounds to power a Utes offense that shot 51.5% and dominated the rebounding battle 48-30.
Unlike Thursday’s 75-72 win at Colorado when they led for nearly 38 minutes, Washington trailed from the start and never found much of an offensive flow while shooting 34.8%.
The Huskies were down 17-13 when the Utes hit them with a 15-0 barrage over a 3-minute stretch that included three 3-pointers.
First, Wilguens Exacte Jr. drained a 3. Following two Utes free throws and a couple of layups, Gabe Madesen drilled a corner three-pointer.
On the ensuing possession, Keion Menifield had a pass intercepted that sparked a Utes fast break and another Madsen 3 on the wing that gave Utah a 32-13 lead with 8:43 left in the first half.
That’s when Mike Hopkins turned reserve forward Langston Wilson to comprise a big front line featuring forward Keion Brooks Jr. and Meah.
The Huskies outscored the Utes 15-6 over a six-minute stretch to cut their deficit to 36-28.
Washington couldn’t sustain its momentum and Utah closed the first half with an 8-2 run to go up 42-30 at the break.
The Huskies never got any closer in the second half and Luka Tarlac essentially put the game away when he drove from the perimeter past two Husky defenders for a highlight dunk that gave Utah a 55-35 lead with 14:31 left.
Hopkins resorted to a full-court press in hopes of forcing turnovers and create some extra possessions. The tactic worked for a bit and Williams’ three-pointer cut UW deficit to 63-50 with 8:48 remaining.
However, too much Carlson and Gabe Madsen (17 points and three 3-pointers) proved fatal for Huskies.
Washington returns home for Thursday’s game against Arizona State.