4A boys high school basketball: Provo survives early scare by Murray

WEST VALLEY CITY — In the end, the outcome of Provo's first-round game with Murray went about as expected.

The No. 1 Bulldogs were simply better in every statistical category, and the result was a predictable 57-39 victory. The way that victory unfolded, however, was a bit unexpected.

Murray didn't simply roll over for the best team in Utah like some thought, but instead made Provo work until the final whistle for its 4A first round win at the E Center.

The Spartans kept it close throughout the first half only trailing 30-25 at the break, and they were still within striking distance at 40-34 after three quarters. Provo gradually pulled away though in the fourth quarter by holding Murray to five points.

"We haven't played for a couple weeks and we were rusty, I didn't think we'd be that rusty, but we were," said Provo coach Craig Drury. "When you run a really simplistic offense, timing is everything."

Drury credited Murray's defense as much as anything for his team's first-half struggles.

"I've got to give Murray credit for taking us out of our offense," said Drury, whose team still shot 45 percent in the first half despite missing a lot of easy shots.

In the second half Provo executed its offense much better, got easier looks and shot 52 percent compared to Murray's 21 percent. The combination of the two spoiled any early thoughts about the state tournament upset of the decade.

Brandon Davies led the way for Provo with 19 points and on 7-of-13 shooting and 13 rebounds. Kyle Collinsworth chipped in with 12 points, with Ryan Durrant adding 10 and Beau Hunter 10.

"I thought Collinsworth played a very subpar game today, but with that being said his subpar game is still close to all-state material," said Drury.

With Collinsworth and a few of his teammates struggling early, it looked like Murray might be able to pull off the equivalent of a No. 15 seed upset in the NCAA Tournament.

Despite falling behind 11-4 midway through the first quarter, Murray battled back to level the score at 16-16. A 3-pointer by Markus Duran tied the score again at 19-19, and then a lay-up Kevin Masic leveled things again at 23-23. Provo closed the half on a mini 7-2 run as its offense slowly started finding a rhythm.

As good as Murray seemed to play in the first half, Drury said he's seen better.

"I don't know if that was their best effort. They're pretty good. The Duran kid is a fine player, but he played OK. But I've seen him play better," said Drury. "I think they had the nerves too. Both teams had the tournament jitters."

Duran finished with 13 points, but he only scored two in the second half.

After Provo increased its lead to 38-27 with 3:21 remaining in the third quarter, Murray made one final push on back-to-back 3-pointers by Masic and Jon Hunt to whittle the deficit to six heading into the fourth. The Bulldogs were simply too efficient down the stretch for Murray to inch any closer.

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