Runnin’ Utes end European trip with a win

The Runnin’ Utes finished a great trip overseas with a loss to the Paris All-Stars on Saturday. The Utes had good outings from Collette, Barefield and Bibbins, with 16, 13 and 12 points each. The Utes had a hard time defending the three point line, by giving up 14, is a bit of a red flag, but something they should be able to work on.

The trip was a good one overall for Utah, with a couple of new guys, Bibbins and Tillman averaging double figures. Some returners, like Barefield, Rawson and Collette also added double figures, and that’s a pretty solid mix and something we’ll need to see going into the season. I’m excited to see Tillman first hand.

Read below for the complete game wrap up from the Utah AD:

PARIS – Utah's David Collette (16 points), Sedrick Barefield (13) and Justin Bibbins (12) each scored in double figures, but it wasn't enough as the Runnin' Utes fell 74-67 to the Paris All-Stars Saturday afternoon.

The Paris All-Stars, who drained 14 three-pointers to Utah's seven three-pointers made, used a 12-0 run through the first and second quarters and later registered a 15-0 run to put the game out of reach.

Despite trailing by as many as 12 points late in the contest, the Utes managed to close out the day with a 4-for-5 effort from the field and close the gap to just a seven-point loss.

Utah trailed 35-31 at the half, despite closing out the second quarter with a 13-8 run.

The Utes led late in the first quarter, 16-13, following a three-pointer from Barefield, but the Paris All-Stars closed the quarter with a 4-0 run and then opened the second period scoring the first eight points to push its lead to 25-16.

A 12-5 run pulled the Utes within two points, down 30-28, but the home squad scored the next five points to take a seven-point lead. Bibbins managed to get the Utes back within four points as he drained a three-pointer at the buzzer.

Collette led all players with 11 points at the break and Bibbins added six points. Tyler Rawson and Barefiled both had five points each.Donnie Tillman led the Utes on the boards in the first half, totaling five rebounds. Rawson was right behind him with four boards.

The Utes opened the third quarter with a 9-5 run and managed to take back the lead, 41-40, with a three-point-play from Collette. Back-to-back buckets from Barefield would later push Utah's lead to 45-41, but the home squad closed out the remainder of the period with a 13-0 run.

The All-Stars opened the final period with a bucket, but the Utes managed to get back to within five points following a three-pointer from Rawson, down 60-55. The All-Stars solidified its victory though, knocking down three-pointers on three of its last four possessions.

Donnie Tillman tallied nine points in the game, while both he and Rawson registered a team-high 10 rebounds on the day. Bibbins tallied a team-high seven assists and Barefield added five dimes for the Utes.

Barefield led the way for the Utes on the trip, averaging a team-high 14.3 points over the three-game span. Rawson and Collette followed with an 11.7 ppg average and Bibbins registered an average of 11.0 ppg. Tillman posted an average of 10.3 ppg.

The Utes will continue to wrap-up its final two days of the tour with a couple of excursions throughout Paris, which includes a trip to the Eiffel Tower on Sunday. Following another excursion on Monday, the team will head back to Salt Lake City on Tuesday.

Be sure to follow the Runnin' Utes throughout its tour of Europe, via the #UtesTourEuro blog here.