The Utah Utes scored 70 points in the first half and scored one of the largest margins of victory in college basketball history, defeating the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils 143-49 on Friday night in Salt Lake City.
After leading 15-9 with 14:18 left in the first half, the Utes (2-0) sped away from the Delta Devils (0-2), outscoring them 55-11 over the remainder of the half for a 70-20 lead at the intermission. The Utes reached and passed the 80-point margin with 9:22 left when they took a 112-31 lead on a 3-pointer by Alfonso Plummer.
The lead went as high as 94 points with 2:31 left, with Utah leading 137-43. It was a night when everything went right for Utah and everything went wrong for Mississippi Valley State.
In the 55-11 surge, the biggest uninterrupted run for the Utes was a 21-0 burst which turned a 49-17 lead into a 70-17 lead near the end of the half. That burst, which encompassed just over 4 1/2 minutes, ended with a 3-pointer by Mississippi Valley State's Caleb Hunter with one second left before halftime.
Nine Utah players scored in double figures, including all five starters. Timmy Allen scored a game-high 26 points for the Utes, who shot 63.3 percent from the field on 57 of 90 shooting. Utah made 17 of 34 threes (50 percent). The Utes hit 12 of 13 free throws, meaning they hit 69 of 103 field goals and foul shots combined.
Michael Green scored 20 points for the Delta Devils, his team's only player in double figures. Mississippi Valley State finished 21 of 80 (26 percent) from the field and 4 of 30 3-pointers.
--Field Level Media
Mississippi Valley State | Utah | |
Michael Green 20 | Scoring | Timmy Allen 26 |
Caleb Hunter 4 | Assists | Rylan Jones 11 |
Brandon Kimble 7 | Rebounds | Both Gach 10 |
Torico Simmons 2 | Free Throws Made | Timmy Allen 8 |
Brandon Kimble 5 | Steals | Rylan Jones 4 |
Quinton Alston 3 | Blocks | Lahat Thioune 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Mississippi Valley State | 49 | 26.2 | 4-30 | 3-6 | 10 | 26 | 6 | 9 | 18 |
Utah | 143 | 63.3 | 17-34 | 12-13 | 41 | 61 | 3 | 6 | 11 |