Utah Powers Up on Pepperdine

Jimmy Miggins scored 17 points but Pepperdine was outmuscled on the boards as Utah posted an 81-74 nonconference victory Saturday night at Salt Lake City.

Nick Jacobson scored a career-high 22 points, including five three-point baskets, for the Utes (3-2). Chris Burgess had 19 points and 12 rebounds.

The Waves (2-2), coming off an 85-78 upset of No. 10 UCLA on Wednesday, were outrebounded, 41-26.

Pepperdine’s press, which forces 22 turnovers per game, rattled the Utes midway through the second half.

Utah’s 16-point lead had withered to 61-57 when Coach Rick Majerus changed his press-breaking strategy. The Utes began sending one of their guards on a fly pattern behind the Wave defense.

Jacobson and Jeff Johnsen got breakaway layups and Jacobson connected on his fifth three-pointer and Utah led, 72-58, with 7:58 to play.

Britton Johnsen, who scored 14 points, made two free throws and Utah held a 80-62 advantage with 2:56 to play before the Waves mounted a 12-1 run after the game was out of reach.

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Wyoming 86, Cal State Fullerton 71--Forward Pape Sow scored 19 points and forward Brandon Campbell had 18 but the Titans (1-4) shot 34.2% from the field at Laramie, Wyo.

Guard Donta Richardson, with 19 points, was among four players who scored in double figures for the Cowboys (4-2).

Wyoming used a 49-22 run during a nine-minute stretch to wipe out a 13-point deficit and move ahead, 58-44, with 15:51 remaining.

The Titans pulled within 69-61 after a free throw by Josh Fischer with 8:25 left.

That was before an 8-0 roll by Wyoming, highlighted by two layups by Uche Nsonwu-Amadi. His last layup put the Cowboys up, 77-61, with 4:36 left.

Fullerton got no closer than 11 points the rest of the way.

The Cowboys started slow, missing 14 of their first 18 shots to fall behind 22-9 in the first 11 minutes.

After Ryan Dillon’s three-pointer gave Fullerton a 31-23 lead with 5:11 left in the first half, Wyoming went on an 18-4 run to close out the half with a 41-35 lead.

San Diego State 90, Cal State Northridge 70--Tony Bland led the Aztecs (4-2) with 22 points at San Diego and Markus Carr scored 20 for Northridge (1-3).

Al Faux scored 21 for San Diego State, and Randy Holcomb had 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Holcomb’s inside basket and two Chris Walton free throws extended San Diego State’s lead to 14 with 11:27 remaining.

The Aztecs then used free throws and defense to hang onto their lead. They went without a basket for 8:49.

Northridge closed within 63-58. But Bland ended the field goal drought with a three-pointer with 3:04 remaining to give San Diego State a 72-60 edge.

The Matadors never got closer than 10 points the rest of the way.

The Aztecs made 33 of 44 free throws, Northridge 12 of 27.

Montana State 82, UC Riverside 72--Aaron Rich scored 23 points for Montana State (2-3) in the consolation game of the McCaffrey Classic at Fresno.

Mark Miller scored 18 points for Riverside (0-4), in its second season of Division I play.

UC Santa Barbara 62, St. Mary’s 51--Mark Hull’s 15 points led the Gauchos (4-1) at Santa Barbara.