This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The result was settled before the teams stepped on the floor — long before.
It was probably set when the visiting Coppin State (0-5) scheduled its three-game road trip in three nights, taking them from South Carolina on Wednesday, to Provo on Thursday and to the Huntsman Center on Friday.
Utah (3-0) was always going to win this game on Friday night. The question was how.
The inevitable result turned out to be a 94-51 win for Utah at the Huntsman Center, achieved with spot-on early 3-point shooting, then with guards JoJo Zamora (22 points) and Lorenzo Bonam (19 points) blistering through a stiff-legged Eagles defense.
The Utes won their third straight game by 40 or more points, albeit their first against a Division I competitor. But Coppin State didn't ever look much better than Northwest Nazarene or Concordia, ceding a double-digit lead before the first media timeout and never coming close again.
Coach Larry Krystkowiak said he was pleased to see his team log 22 assists on 30 baskets, almost hold an opponent to the 40s and hit over 40 percent of its 3-point shots. But he interrupted his praise for his own team with some empathy for the other one.
"That's a rough stretch for those guys, man," Krystkowiak said. "They didn't have a whole lot in the way of legs. But we're just trying to respect the game no matter who we play, and the price of poker is going to go up."
The Eagles 41 missed shots were 19 shy of their previous night's effort, but Coppin State only hit a quarter of its field goals all night â€" seven in each half.
Utah was red hot from deep early, shooting 9 for 14 from 3-point range in the first half on the way to a 53-25 lead at the break. Bonam scored 17 of his points in the first 20 minutes, while Zamora saved his best effort for the second half with 21 points after halftime. The two guards were a combined 13 for 21 from the field, leading a night when Utah shot 48 percent.
In some areas, Utah granted mercy to the Eagles, struggling through their second game since landing in Utah at 2 p.m. on Thursday afternoon. The Utes hoped to practice their pressure defense, but decided to hold back.
But as Utes cruised through the paint on drive after drive, scoring 19 points off turnovers and 16 points on fast break, it wasn't as if the Utes were going easy on them, either.
Junior forward Tyler Rawson made his first start for the Utes over freshman Jayce Johnson, with 6 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists. Krystkowiak said he started Rawson in part because of the smaller Eagles line-up, in part because Rawson has played well, and in part because Johnson has struggled with "mental stuff."
But Johnson made his presence felt on the glass, finishing with 10 boards for his second double-digit rebounding night in three games.
Parker Van Dyke (15 points) and Jake Connor (11 points) each hit three shots from beyond the arc to finish as Utah's other double-digit scorers. Not among them was junior forward Kyle Kuzma, who had a quiet night of 8 points and 9 rebounds in only 20 minutes of play.
Utah's Charmin-soft schedule so far gets harder starting next week, with a Friday game against UC Riverside followed by Butler at home the next Monday. While it's not easy to differentiate between blowouts, the Utes feel they are improving.
"There's things we point out we've gotten better at each game," Van Dyke said. "Even though the games aren't very close, I think there's definitely progress with our team."
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Storylines
R Utes wih their third consecutive game by 40 or more points.
• Jojo Zamora, with 22 points, and Lorenzo Bonam, with 19, lead Utah.
• Coppin State loses third game in three days.