Branden Carlson scores 27 of 34 in 2nd half, Utah rallies to beat Washington 95-90

SALT LAKE CITY -- — Branden Carlson scored 27 of his career-high 34 points in the second half and Gabe Madsen had a double-double to help Utah rally from a 15-point deficit and beat Washington 95-90 Sunday.

Carlson made 14 of 23 from the field, including 3 of 5 from 3-point range, and finished with seven rebounds and seven assists and Madsen had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Rollie Worster had 14 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals for Utah (11-2, 2-0 Pac-12).

The Utes have won eight games in a row since suffering back-to-back losses to No. 3 Houston and St. John’s in mid-November.

Madsen hit two 3s while Deivon Smith and Keba Keita each scored five points in a 17-6 run that gave Utah a one-point lead, its first since midway through the first half. Wilhelm Breidenbach made 1-of-2 free throws put the Huskies in front 69-68 with 8:47 to play but Carlson hit a 3-pointer 17 seconds later and the Utes trailed the rest of the way.

Carlson scored 16 points in the final seven minutes and Utah, which finished 10 of 22 (45%) from the free-throw line, hit 6 of 10 foul shots in the final minute-plus.

Keion Brooks Jr. led Washington with 25 points, Koren Johnson scored 17 and Wilhelm Breidenbach had 15 points and six rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench.

The Huskies (8-5, 0-2 Pac-12), who had their four-game win streak snapped Friday at Colorado, have lost back-to-back games for the first time this season.

Washington made just two of its first 17 field-goal attempts as Utah jumped to an 18-7 lead when Cole Bajema, who finished with 11 points, made a layup with 11:45 left in the first half. After the teams exchanged layups, Breidenbach hit a 3-pointer and followed with a layup to spark a 23-2 run — including nine points from Brooks and a four-point play by Johnson — that gave Washington a 10-point lead. Johnson made a layup to stretch the lead to 15 before the Huskies took a 46-35 advantage into halftime.

Washington made just 14 of 41 (34%) from the field in the first half but didn't commit a turnover, while forcing eight by the Utes, and outscored Utah 13-1 from the free-throw line.

Utah made 37 of 70 (53%) overall, including 11 of 24 (46%) from 3-point range, and shot 69% (22 of 32) in the second half.

Washington's Braxton Meah, who started at center in place of the injured Franck Kepnang, played just 10 foul-plagued minutes and finished with two points and three rebounds.

Washington kicks off a three-game home stand Thursday against Oregon. Utah heads to the desert to play Arizona State on Thursday.

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