The Utes picked up another win abroad yesterday, by beating Dax Gamarde by a comfortable 23 point win. It’s a win to see Utah guard Sedrick Barefield lead the team in scoring with 15 points. After his big eruption in Hawaii last year, Barefield was inconsistent for the rest of the season. He did show up in big moments, but he’ll be counted on with a much bigger load this upcoming season, and will likely be one of the primary scoring options for Utah. Freshman Donnie Tillman once again scored in double figures with 10 points. This young kid will have a major impact on the team this season, and the quicker he can gel with the rest of the squad the better. It’s nice to see guys like David Collette and Tyler Rawson play well, with 13 and 10 points each. I’m not sure who the leader of this team will be, but the more people that can pitch in the better.
Here’s more on the game:
BARCELONA – Utah guard Sedrick Barefield poured in a team-high 15 points, while incoming freshman Donnie Tillman added 10 points and posted eight rebounds to lead the Runnin' Utes to a 78-55 win over Dax Gamarde Wednesday evening at Pavelló Esportiu Municipal Gym.
The Utes moved to 2-0 during its current 10-day European Tour, with one contest left to play still – this Saturday, Aug. 12, in Paris, France.
Barefield led all players with his 15-point effort and he also posted a team-high six assists on the evening. David Collette, who scored six of Utah's first 10 points, finished with 13 points on the evening and Tyler Rawson matched Tillman's effort of 10 points in the game.
Barefield opened the contest with a bucket and Tillman followed with two points before Dax Gamarde put up its first points of the night – a three-pointer to cut the lead to one. Both teams would trade buckets, but Utah later closed out the first quarter of play with a 12-2 run to take a 26-13 lead into the second period.
Utah's defense limited Dax Gamarde to just a pair of free throws over an eight-minute span and later pushed its lead to 19 points on a three-pointer from Jake Connor. The very next possession, Connor drained another trey to give the Utes is biggest lead at that point of the evening, up 39-18. Dax Gamarde scored eight of the game's next 15 points, but Utah took a 20-point lead into the half, up 46-26.
Utah drained 19 total field goals in the first half – with six of those coming from beyond the arc – and limited the opposition to just nine field goals over the first 20 minutes of play.
Rawson and Tillman did the majority of the heavy lifting in the third quarter, scoring four points each and guiding the Utes to a 60-43 advantage. Despite giving up a three-pointer to begin the fourth quarter, Utah's defense limited its French counterpart to just two more field goals along the way.
Barefield's bucket with 4:48 left to play in the fourth quarter would turn out to be Utah's final field goal of the evening, but the Utes would go 9-of-10 from the free throw line down the stretch.
Justin Bibbins finished the game with five points and five assists, while Jayce Johnson tallied two points and six rebounds. Connor totaled eight points, two assists and a pair of boards. Parker Van Dyke drained a pair of three-pointers for six points and he also managed to grab four rebounds.
Utah wraps up play with its third and final game of the trip this Saturday, Aug. 12. The contest will be played in Paris with a team to be named later.
Be sure to follow the Runnin' Utes throughout its tour of Europe, via the #UtesTourEuro blog here.