As has become his go-to move, Josh Watkins threw himself repeatedly into Washington State defenders Thursday. Time and again, he split the guards, ducked into the lane, drove his shoulder into a taller defender and flipped the ball toward, but usually not into, the basket.
With 17 seconds remaining in regulation, he split the guards, ducked into the lane and ? did an unexpected thing: He stopped at the elbow and he shot.
As time dripped away in the overtime period Watkins forced, he did it again. He stopped and he shot.
In that span, the Utes? brash and reckless point guard matured, and the University of Utah men?s basketball team ? labeled the worst ever ? won a Pac-12 game.
Utah 62, Washington State 60.
Story continues below
Coaches all week pounded into Watkins? mind the message of not making plays harder than necessary. But near the end of the second half, it hadn?t registered, and he had missed six straight shots.
Then it clicked.
"That was all on my mind," said Watkins, who led the Utes with 20 points. "I would get one of my teammates open, or I?m penetrating, or rise and take the shot."
It was a dramatic turnaround for Utah (4-10, 1-1). Five days earlier the Utes lost by 40 points at Colorado, and first-year coach Larry Krystkowiak turned his postgame speech to the team into a profanity-laced lecture.
Thursday there was no berating. Just celebrating.
Of course, in typical Ute fashion, the win wasn?t without a great deal of hardship.
The Utes shot 50 percent in the first half, committed just three turnovers and held a 29-23 lead at halftime, nearly matching its 33-point total against Colorado.
In the second half, though, the Utes opened with three consecutive turnovers and the Cougars (9-6, 1-2) went on a 10-3 run.
Next Page ?Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/53242559-77/utes-watkins-washington-state.html.csp
pujols mythbusters miami marlins hanley ramirez blago mumia abu jamal mumia abu jamal
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.