However, Green sank a 3-pointer from the right corner and Borha scored on a drive to put the Utes up by 10 again.

Utah pushed the lead to 12 at 69-57 on a drive by Johns.

The lead was still 11 after a three-point play by Johns, but Burtschi sank an NBA-length 3-pointer and Nwaelele scored off a Green turnover to cut the lead to 78-72.

Over the last five minutes of the game the Utes sank 13 of 14 free throws, and Borha punctuated the win with a wide-open layup with 15 seconds left.

As the final seconds ticked off, the Ute students started the predictable chant of "overrated," and Bryant hurled the ball almost to the giant cloud above the court and the Utes celebrated.

Over the first 10 minutes you'd have a hard telling which team was 11th in the nation and which was on a six-game losing streak.

The Utes jumped to a 25-10 lead as the Utes hit 11 of their first 14 shots, while the Falcons only managed four of their first 15.

If not for 13 first-half turnovers, the Utes might have blown the game open, but they allowed the Falcons to stick around. It was 28-21 when Nick Welch tried a 3-pointer with five seconds left that missed. Bryant took the ball up court and launched a running shot from 22 feet that banked in at the buzzer.

The Utes will play at 1 p.m. Saturday at home against Wyoming, which lost 89-81 to BYU Tuesday night.

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E-mail: sor@desnews.com