FORT COLLINS, Colo.—Leave it to a freshman to make up for the absence of a key contributor.
On a night when Luke Nevill didn’t have his best game, Carlon Brown filled that void quite nicely.
“I said before the game, somebody is going to have to step up for us to beat this team,” Utah coach Jim Boylen said. “It was Carlon.”
Brown scored a career high 16 points and Johnnie Bryant added 13 as Utah defeated struggling Colorado State 67-52 Saturday night.
Bryant was coming off a 2-for-15 shooting night and seven points in his last game. Tyler Kepkay added 11 points for Utah (12-8, 3-4 Mountain West).
The Utes played without backup point guard Luke Drca, who was serving a one-game suspension for elbowing a TCU player a week earlier.
“I knew I had to pick up the pace,” said Brown, a true freshman. “I’m trying to do what’s best to help the team.”
Brown scored his team’s first four points and his first 3-pointer of the year in the first half.
The call for Brown was further made necessary by Nevill’s off night. The 7-foot center managed only eight points and five rebounds a few nights after scoring a season-high 25 points at home against Wyoming.
“It wasn’t just Brown’s points that impressed me,” Boylen said. “Look at what he did defensively, his rebounding and four assists.”
Marcus Walker had 23 points to lead Colorado State (6-15, 0-7), losers of a season-long eight games, matching an eight-game skid in the 2004-05 season.
“That’s an embarrassment,” Colorado State coach Tim Miles said. “During an early time out the foreheads of (Willis) Gardner and Walker were dry. Heck, I had worked up more of a sweat than they were and that was wrong.”
The Rams also are in the midst of an eight-game conference losing streak. They last won in conference on Feb. 24, when they beat Wyoming 86-68.
“When things go bad, your worst comes out of you,” Miles said. “Nobody played, we didn’t screen, cut and the ball didn’t move fluidly.”
Colorado State trailed 60-44 with 3:10 left. Bryant sealed the win with a short jumper that put the Utes ahead 62-44 with 2:37 to play.
Bryant had nine points by halftime and Utah held the Rams to a season low 13 points to lead 33-13. Colorado State hurt itself by going 6-for-23 from the field in the first half.
“Again it was our defense,” Boylen said. “Our first half defense set the tone for us.”
Miles had a different take on his team.
“A man brings his family to this game and spends $55 on tickets and concessions,” Miles said. “Would you come back?”
“I want to see a team that plays and executes together,” Miles said. “I didn’t see any of that tonight.”
