Utah’s basketball team positioned itself for a strong ending of the Myrtle Beach Invitational, only to crumble in the last 4½ minutes Sunday at Conway, S.C.
The Utes' 65-61 loss to Tulane was a big disappointment to them, after they led by eight points midway through the second half and were ahead 61-55 after guard Rylan Jones' consecutive 3-pointers answered Tulane threats. But both the Utes' offense and defense let them down the rest of the way, as they posted a 1-2 record in an eight-team tournament for the second year in a row.
Utah will point to 20 turnovers as a major flaw Sunday, yet the Utes seemingly had done enough other things to overcome that problem until they faded at the end.
Timmy Allen and Branden Carlson each scored 14 points for Utah (4-2), Jones added 11 and Mikael Jantunen had 10. Teshaun Hightower scored 16 points, including a go-ahead layup with 59 seconds remaining for Tulane (5-1), picked to finish last in the 12-team American Athletic Conference.
A nonshooting foul extended Utah’s next possession, with the Utes trailing 63-61. Jones ended up getting two shots in hopes of tying the game, but he missed each time. The Green Wave added two clinching free throws with two seconds left.
Tulane made 9 of its last 11 shots from the field, rallying when the Utes had a good chance to secure a win. Utah had opened the tournament with a 79-57 loss to host Coastal Carolina, then beat Ohio 80-66 on Friday, even while going 1 of 12 from the field to finish the game. The Utes followed a similar pattern in last November’s Wooden Legacy in California, where they lost to Hawaii, beat Grand Canyon and lost to Northwestern.
Neither team had more than a five-point lead for the first 30 minutes of Sunday's game, then the Utes went ahead 51-43 on Jaxon Brenchley's 3-pointer with 9:21 to play. Jones' 3-pointer made it 61-55 with 4:36 remaining, but the Utes wouldn't score again.
Utah sophomores Both Gach and Riley Battin scored only three points each. Battin didn’t score after his 3-pointer gave Utah its first basket.
Storylines
-Utah goes scoreless in the last 4½ minutes of a 65-61 loss to Tulane in the fifth-place game of the Myrtle Beach Invitational.
-The Utes commit 20 turnovers and Tulane scores the game's last 10 points.
-Utah will open a three-game homestand Friday vs. UC Davis.
