Utes end Australian trip with win

ROCKHAMPTON, Australia — The University of Utah men's basketball team saved its best for last, defeating the defending NBL Champion Brisbane Bullets 85-80 Friday night.

It was the last of six games in Australia for the Utes, who head home today with a 3-3 record. Beating the best of their opponents leaves a good taste for the young Utes and new coach Jim Boylen.

"I was proud of my team," said Boylen. "They were ready to play and made the most of the opportunity to play against a very good team. I was very pleased with our 37-point first quarter. But I was even more excited about our second-half defense, holding them under 40 percent shooting (37.2 percent)."

The Runnin' Utes used the 37-point first quarter to break the game open and led by 15 at halftime, 58-43. The first half was highlighted by a second-quarter alley-oop pass from Stephen Weigh to Luke Nevill, which pushed Utah's lead to 21 points.

The Bullets eventually cut the lead to three, midway through the fourth quarter, but solid defense from the Utes did not let Brisbane any closer. Junior Lawrence Borha sank two free throws for Utah with three seconds left to put the game on ice.

Utah's two Australian-born players led the way as Nevill finished with 30 points and nine rebounds on 12-of-17 shooting, while Rockhampton native Stephen Weigh added 21 points, 14 in the first quarter. Senior guard Johnnie Bryant also turned in a solid performance, tallying 13 points and eight rebounds.

Boylen was happy with how the Australian tour helped his team.

"It has been exactly what I hoped it would be," he said. "The travel was tough, the games were tough. We had difficult situations to play in. But I felt we responded well to adversity and took some small steps in growing as a team. I have said all along that this was a business trip and I feel we did a good job taking care of our business. Hopefully, this will be a springboard to improving as a team and building a top program."