Utah Utes basketball report card: J.J. O'Brien, Will Clyburn help Utes hang tough

Utah at BYU boxscore

Utah hung with the 7th-ranked Cougars for most of the game, but a 14-0 run late in the game gave BYU its fifth straight victory over the Utes, 72-59, at the sold-out Marriott Center.

STARTERS

Will Clyburn: It took awhile for Utah's leading scorer to get going, but he ended up as the leading scorer again with 18 points. He made back-to-back 3-pointers to bring the Utes within two at 48-46. He made 7 of 14, but had only four rebounds, half his season average. Grade: B+

Josh Watkins: He played 37 minutes, but couldn't find his range, going just 2-of-11 from the field and 0-of-3 from 3-point range. He also missed his only free throw attempt. He did have four assists and four steals, but the most glaring statistic was his five turnovers. Grade: C

J.J. O'Brien: The freshman from California played solid defense on Jimmer Fredette most of the game, holding him to eight points through the first 30 minutes before Fredette caught fire down the stretch with 12 straight points in a four-minute stretch. On the offensive end, O'Brien finished with 10 points and had seven rebounds. Grade: A-

David Foster: The junior center went 3-for-3 from the field for seven points and pulled down eight rebounds in 27 strong minutes. And he clogged up the middle on the other end. Grade: B

Shawn Glover: After some good games recently, the sophomore from Texas was nearly invisible as he went 1-for-5 from the field, missing his only two 3-pointers. He also had four rebounds and two turnovers. Grade: C

RESERVES

Chris Kupets: In 23 minutes off the bench, the JC transfer played well, bringing energy to the Utes and scoring 14 points and dishing off a pair of assists. Grade: B

Jason Washburn: In relief of Foster, Washburn played just 13 minutes. He made his only two shots, but had three turnovers and only two rebounds. Grade: C

Chris Hines: Only played three minutes and had all zeros on his stat line. Grade: Incomplete