Taylor leads No. 12 Utah to victory over Washington State

SALT LAKE CITY — Much of the spotlight in Utah’s backcourt has belonged to senior guard Delon Wright this season. Wright’s all-around play is a big reason why the Utes have climbed the ladder in the Pac-12 season.

In the past few games, junior guard Brandon Taylor has shown it isn’t a one-man show back there.

Taylor proved his value once again against Washington State, scoring 18 points and dishing out seven assists to lead No. 12 Utah to an 86-64 victory over the Cougars on Wednesday night.

In Pac-12 play, Taylor is averaging 12.3 points per game while shooting 54.8 percent from the field. He is shooting 47.4 percent from 3-point range.

“At the end of every game, I want to feel like I put myself in a position where I helped my team get better — no matter what I did during the game,” Taylor said. “I want to be able to go from the game and say, ‘Brandon Taylor helped his team and elevated it.'”

Wright added 17 points and eight assists and forward Jordan Loveridge chipped in 12 points for Utah (15-3, 5-1 Pac-12), which won its 14th straight home game dating back to last season. In four Pac-12 home contests, the Utes have won by an average margin of 25.8 points.

DaVonte Lacy scored 15 points while Josh Hawkinson added 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Cougars (9-9, 3-3 Pac-12), who won two straight Pac-12 road contests before falling to Utah.

Washington State did several things right. The Cougars shot 42 percent (8-of-19) from 3-point range and outrebounded Utah 35-30. Turnovers kept them from springing the upset over a ranked foe.

Utah forced Washington State to commit 17 turnovers while turning the ball over only four times. The Utes enjoyed a 21-1 advantage in points off turnovers.

“We’re not a team that can generate a lot of turnovers,” Washington State coach Ernie Kent said. “What we can do is play solid defense and not give up easy shots.”

The Utes went in front for good when Taylor and forward Brekkott Chapman made jumpers on back-to-back possessions for a 13-10 lead. It was part of a 13-3 run that culminated in a pair of free throws from Taylor and a 20-13 Utah advantage.

Lacy drained two 3-pointers to cut Utah’s lead to 24-23. That was as close as the Cougars could get.

Utah shut down Washington State’s offense before halftime. The Cougars missed 10 straight baskets to end the half and did not score a field goal in the final 6:18 before the break, opening the door for the Utes to pull away.

Utah did not waste the chance. Loveridge drained back-to-back 3-pointers to spark a 22-4 run to close the half. Wright hit two free throws to cap the run and give the Utes a 46-27 lead going into the locker room.

Utah had just one turnover before halftime and shot 53 percent (17-of-32) from the field.

“We’ve done a nice job of taking care of the basketball,” Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak said. “Offensively we’re starting to figure some things out and not force the issue, but just kind of trust the offense. That’s probably been the biggest thing.”

Utah held onto a double-digit lead for much of the second half. Washington State made it a little bit uncomfortable for the Utes as the half progressed after heating up from the perimeter.

Three straight 3-pointers from guards Dexter Kernich-Drew, Trevor Dunbar and forward Brett Boese fueled a 9-2 run that helped the Cougars cut Utah’s lead to 10 points at 62-52. Taylor sank his own 3-pointer to stop the run and Wright added a jumper to boost the Utes lead to 67-53.

The Cougars made 6-of-7 3-pointers to open the second half before Utah adjusted its perimeter defense to take away those outside looks.

“It was actually surprising for them to come in our building and run like they did,” Taylor said. “I don’t think we ever played a team that came at us that fast. So we just had to really get locked in and guard them. Get back to our defensive game plan.”

Utah eventually led by as many as 22