No. 16 Utah tops Temple 74-68 in for 3rd in Puerto Rico

 

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) Jakob Poeltl had a huge performance and Brandon Taylor hit the go-ahead shot with 28.4 seconds left, lifting No. 16 Utah past Temple 74-68 in Sunday’s third-place game at the Puerto Rico Tipoff.
Poeltl finished with 32 points and 11 rebounds, tied for the No. 2 single-game scoring total in Tipoff history and the most since 2011. He also went 4 for 4 at the foul line in the final 4.6 seconds, giving Utah (4-1) a tough win against Temple (1-3) after Friday’s blowout loss to Miami.
In a tight finish that had the teams trading the lead in the final 3 1/2 minutes, Taylor came up with the biggest shot. Tied at 68 and with the shot clock winding down, Taylor retreated into the far corner in front of Utah’s bench and launched an off-balance shot against Levan Shawn Alston Jr. that dropped through the net.
Temple had a chance to tie after Taylor’s shot, but Daniel Dingle missed two free throws with 15.6 seconds left. Poeltl got the rebound and the Owls were unable to commit a foul while chasing the Utes around.
Josh Brown then shoved Poeltl from behind on a pitch-ahead in a desperate attempt to stop the clock. The referees called it a flagrant foul, giving Utah two shots and the ball. Poeltl sunk them, plus two more to close it out.
Poeltl finished 10 for 12 from the field and 12 of 14 from the foul line while getting Temple big man Jaylen Bond in foul trouble. Taylor was the only other Utah player to score in double figures with 10.
Utah shot 40 percent and led by 14 early in the second half before Temple rallied.
Quenton DeCosey scored 14 points for the Owls, who shot 39 percent.
TIP-INS
Temple: Obi Enechionyia scored 13 points. … Temple made 10 of 29 3-point attempts. … The Owls dropped to 0-3 against ranked teams, losing to top-ranked North Carolina in the season opener and No. 22 Butler here in Puerto Rico.
Utah: Jordan Loveridge scored just eight on 2-for-12 shooting, but had nine rebounds. … Poeltl also had three blocks and two steals.
UP NEXT
Temple hosts Delaware on Sunday.
Utah hosts Idaho State on Friday.
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