Utah’s Victory Not Very Pretty, 74-67

Utah may be ranked No. 4 in college basketball, but Coach Rick Majerus didn’t think his team looked anything like that Saturday night against Cal State Fullerton.

The Utes (3-0) escaped Titan Gym with a 74-67 victory in front of a crowd of 2,023, but Majerus had one word for it: ugly.

“It was an ugly game, and I can’t be any more succinct than that,” Majerus said. “We aren’t really that good. We are over-rated, and I’ve said that from day one.”

The Titans (1-1) outscored Utah, 43-36, in the second half, but Utah’s 14-point halftime lead turned out to be too much to overcome. Fullerton shot only 29.6% from the field in the first half, but finished at 41.1% after going 51.7% in the second half.

“We were a little tentative offensively in the first half, but that happens sometimes when you play someone of this caliber,” Titan Coach Bob Hawking said. “But our kids adjusted well at halftime.”

A full-court press helped Fullerton cut Utah’s lead from 18 points to seven with slightly less than five minutes left.

“We played with a lot of energy and passion at that point,” Hawking said. “The press helped. We’ve got some quickness, and the kids really scrambled.”

But Utah’s strength inside was decisive. Senior forward Keith Van Horn led the way with 20 points and 14 rebounds, and 6-11 center Michael Doleac scored 18. The Utes had a 37-27 rebounding advantage. Guard Chris Dade led with Titans with 16 points. John Williams had 15 and Craig Whitehead 10.

Utah shot 66.7% from the field in the first half, including five for five on three-point shots, and led 38-24 at the break. Utah’s aggressive defense kept the Titans off balance, and Fullerton struggled with its outside shooting.

Utah kept the pressure on in the second half, and seemed to be pulling away before the Titans scored 11 consecutive points to cut the deficit to 59-52.