UC Riverside Highlanders at Utah Utes

Bonam's 21 leads Utah over UC Riverside 85-67

"We just have a little grit to ourselves and we always try and play hard. We get after it," Kyle Kuzma (Flint, Michigan) said.

Lorenzo Bonam (Inkster, Michigan) scored a career-high 21 points and Kuzma added 18 to help Utah run past the Highlanders 85-67 on Friday night.

Even freshman wing Devon Daniels (Battle Creek, Michigan) got into the act with 14 points and 11 rebounds and sneaked a dig on Kuzma during the post-game press conference.

"Yep, me and `Zo are pretty tough but I don't know about Koozy," Daniels said with a laugh.

Freshman center Jayce Johnson scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Utes, who had a 32-point advantage in points scored in the paint.

Chance Murray had 17 points and backcourt mate Dikymbe Martin added 15 for the Highlanders (1-3), who were tied with the Utes at 21 midway through the first half. The Highlanders converted 10 of their 21 3-point attempts.

"Our guards played incredible but Utah's length just really bothered us at the rim," UCR coach Dennis Cutts said.

"We just got stops, that was the biggest thing," Kuzma said. "Because then we can run and score in transition. That was our mindset for the rest of the game."

Utah (4-0) used a 10-0 run that bridged the halves to extend its advantage to 54-34 and coasted from there. To cap the surge, Daniels took a pass from Parker Van Dyke and made a layup with 17:08 to play.

"That's how I play. I just attack my opponent . I go hard to the rim," Daniels said.

Though the Highlanders couldn't get closer than 15 points down the stretch, they kept Utah's starters in the game until the final minutes, much longer than they played previously this season.

BIG PICTURE

UC Riverside: Before the game, Cutts said he hopes these tough early games pay dividends in Big West Conference play, where the Highlanders are picked to finish seventh. Despite the lopsided results, he said his players are a confident bunch and are learning game by game.

STAT OF THE NIGHT

The Utes dominated the rebounding tally 49-32, including 17 offensive boards. Bonam had a career-best 10 rebounds.

REFERENCE POINT

Two years ago, the Highlanders lost to Utah 88-42. "We use this game as a reference point of how hard to play and how to play the right way. We'll refer to this all year long," Cutts said.

Murray added, "We came with the right mindset and we played hard. We'd like to have played a bit better but I like the direction we're headed."

UP NEXT

UC Riverside continues its road-heavy start to the season with a trip to UCLA on Wednesday.

Utah will host Butler on Monday, essentially the Utes' first formidable opponent of the season. The Bulldogs have won their first six games, including a 69-65 win over No. 8 Arizona on a neutral court Friday night.

How can I watch UC Riverside vs. Utah?

• TV Channel: UC Riverside at Utah 2021 College Basketball, week 3, is broadcasted on PACN.
• Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo Free trial.
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