Pullman, WA (SportsNetwork.com) - Delon Wright had 18 points with eight rebounds and eight assists to help the 13th-ranked Utah Utes battle past the Washington State Cougars for a 67-59 win on Thursday night.
Jordan Loveridge tallied 16 points and Brandon Taylor added 11 for the Utes (23-6, 13-4 Pac-12), who bounced back from Saturday's 63-57 home loss to regular-season conference champion Arizona.
DaVonte Lacy paced the Cougars (12-17, 6-11) with 16 points and Jordan Railey chipped in with 12 points. Josh Hawkinson had 11 points and nine rebounds for Washington State, which has lost four of its last five games.
Lacy nailed successive 3-pointers to close a 9-1 run early in the second half to give the Cougars a 32-26 lead.
Loveridge and Taylor knocked down back-to-back 3s with seven minutes remaining to tie the game at 48-48, then Taylor's trey moments later broke a deadlock that gave Utah the lead for good.
Wright made four free throws over a 28 second span to extend the lead to 59-52 and the Utes held on.
The Cougars led early on until Loveridge's 3-pointer gave the Utes their first lead of the game midway through the first half. Washington State held Utah scoreless for the final three minutes of the frame, but it could not take advantage with the score tied at 23-23 at the break.
Game Notes
Utah outrebouned the Cougars 36-27 ... The Utes made 10-of-22 shots from beyond the arc ... Washington State concludes its regular season on Saturday at home against Colorado, while Utah visits Washington in its finale.
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