Jeffrey D. Allred / Deseret Morning News

The Utes were back at home to face the UC Irvine Anteaters on Saturday afternoon and looking to start a new winning streak at home and extend their current streak to 2. The Anteaters came in looking for blood and their sharp shooters went to work early and often. UC Irvine opened up a 10-4 lead by dropping two 3-pointers early and controlled most of the first half.

With about 6 minutes to go in the first half and the Utes down six, Tyler Kepkay nailed a jumper that ignited the spark caused by Carlon Brown's baseline slam dunk. The Utes finished the first half on a 9-2 run and took a three point lead into the half at 31-28.

The second half was nearly a carbon copy of the first half, only a little more dramatic. The Anteaters came out of the half on fire from behind the 3-point stripe hitting five straight threes in the first 5:30 of the second half. Part of the reason for their success on the arc was due to the Utes packing it in on the inside and not allowing the Anteaters anywhere near the paint.

Eventually they would cool off and with 10:38 to play and down by 13, the Utes started to jel offensively. Coming out of a media timeout, the Utes got a layup and foul to send Carlon Brown to the line. Kepkay stole the ball on the other end and pushed it down the floor to Nevill who scored a quick layup bringing the Utes to within single digits of the lead.

Lawrence Bohra and Carlon Brown would follow up a missed three pointer with another feed pass for a layup as the Utes began mounting a comeback and over the next 5 minutes the Utes would outscore the Anteaters 17-3. The final four minutes of the game would be all Utah as they took the lead and never looked back. The Utes finished the game behind Lawrence Bohra's outstanding play on a 16-3 run that included an improbable reverse, behind the back layup by Shawn Green while being fouled with about 2 minutes to play. The final: 78-66 in favor of the Utes.

The Utes' next opponent is the Utah State Aggies from up north. The game is scheduled for Wednesday night at the Huntsman Center, tip at 8:00 PM.

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