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Runnin' Utes Can't Convert Late, Fall 67-64 In Heartbreaker To Oregon

A back-and-forth affair that ended with a questionable call, Utah had every right to be upset about the final five seconds. But in reality, the Utes failed to take advantage of multiple opportunities and squandered their change at a Quadrant 1 victory

Ryan Kostecka

Another second half lead, another victory squandered.

It's becoming quite the theme for the Runnin' Utes this season following their 67-64 loss to Oregon (14-4, 9-3 Pac-12), once again ruining Utah's opportunity to secure a Quadrant 1 victory.

“We gotta finish games,” sharpshooter Alfonso Plummer admitted. “We battled the whole game. We were playing hard, talking on defense, getting back, playing hard in the post. We were playing really good the whole game, playing hard, but we got to get better on finishing.”

Utah (9-10, 6-9 Pac-12) found itself leading by three with 2:36 to play but was outscored 9-3 the rest of the way, with Plummer's three-pointer being the only points scored by the Utes.

Despite the offense floundering by shooting 1-for-4 with two turnovers over that time period, a lot of talk will be made about the whistle that came with five seconds left.

“Wow,” Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak said postgame, giving a chuckle in disgust. “All I can say is ‘Wow.’”

Trailing 65-64, Pelle Larsson had the ball and drove to the hoop before kicking the ball out to Timmy Allen. After the ball eluded Allen and bounced out towards midcourt, Allen ran it down and began to dribble towards the hoop. But official Deldre Carr had other ideas, blowing his whistle and calling a double-dribble on Allen — a call that was met with shock, anger and disgust.

“You know, what a team goes through, and we scrapped and we played our butts off, and it wasn’t error-free by any means," Krystkowiak said when meeting with reporters via Zoom postgame. "And we made plenty of mistakes. Oregon made plenty of mistakes. Dana (Altman) and I probably made plenty of mistakes,” he said. “But I think at the end of the day we let the players determine a game, so to make up a call at the end that didn’t even happen is mind-boggling, when we have palming, (which) is also a rule, as is double dribble.”

Krystkowiak wasn't near finished after the mini rant with reporters, then going off about the amount of missed calls that happened throughout the game.

“And palming doesn’t seem to be called. I can show you 15 clips of palming tonight,” he added. “So I am really confused and I feel really bummed for our team. I feel bad for the game, that it has to be that way. That’s how I feel about it.”

Feb 20, 2021; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Utah Utes head coach Larry Krystkowiak reacts to a call during the second half against the Oregon Ducks at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Plummer led four Utes in double figures with 17 points on 4-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc while Allen added 15 points, three rebounds and three assists. Larsson was sensational in running the offense, finishing with 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists. 

Big man Brandon Carlson overcame an injury on the opening possession to finish with 13 points, nine rebounds, two assists in one block. With the Ducks often going with a more athletic and switch-heavy defense full of long, athletic wing players, it allowed Carlson to go to work in the paint.

“We weren’t going to have a chance without him,” Krystkowiak said. "Not a great way to start a game when you smack the floor like that with your body parallel to the floor, but it was gutsy. It showed something. Toughness is something I have challenged our guys. … That is part of the DNA of our program. That was a big step forward for BC.”

Feb 20, 2021; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Utah Utes center Branden Carlson (35) is tended to by the trainer during the first half against the Oregon Ducks at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Duarte and LJ Figueroa led Oregon's offense with 15 points apiece, while Eugene Omoruyi and Will Richardson combined for 22 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Feb 20, 2021; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks guard Chris Duarte (5) drives to the basket as Utah Utes forward Timmy Allen (1) defends during the second half at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

The game was the ultimate back-and-forth affair with nine ties and 19 lead changes, as no team led by more than five points throughout.

Utah played about as good as possible in the first half despite being down two starters; Rylan Jones and Mikael Jantunen. The Utes shots 13-for-26 and with Plummer and Larsson doing most of the damage with nine points each.

But the second half was a different story as Allen, Plummer, Larsson and Carlson were the only Utes to score in the final 20 minutes.

Feb 20, 2021; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Utah Utes guard Pelle Larsson (3) dribbles the ball as Oregon Ducks guard Jalen Terry (3) defends during the first half at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Utah now returns home for what's expected to be the toughest two-game stretch of the season when it hosts UCLA and USC on Thursday and Saturday, respectively — both teams sit tied atop the conference standings at 12-3. 

Tipoff with the Bruins is set for 6 p.m. and will be televised on the Pac-12 Network

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