Utah stayed untested, much less unbeaten, with help from a career game from Mongolian guard Mike Sharavjamts as the host Utes bested Queens 96-65.
After making 19 3-pointers in each of its first two games, Utah (3-0) wasn’t quite as prolific from the perimeter, but shot well (14-for-30) and controlled the backboard throughout the game.
Sharavjamts, a junior guard attending his third college and the first Mongolian to play Division I basketball, scored a career-high 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting, including 3-for-4 from long range.
Gabe Madsen led the Utes with 24 points, 20 in the second half. Big man Ezra Ausar 10 points and 11 rebounds, and Miro Little chipped in 10 points.
Queens (2-1) took its first loss of the season after being outrebounded 52-33. Chris Ashby led the Royals with 14 points, including 4-for-10 from 3-point range. Bryce Cash tallied 11 points, and Asjon Anderson and Jaxon Pollard each scored 10 for Queens, which pulled within 41-31 at intermission.
After Ashby’s 3-pointer pulled Queens to within 41-34 in the opening minute of the second half, the Utes effectively put the game away with a 17-2 run. The burst included treys from Sharavjamts, Madsen and Little. Queens never worked closer than 14 points for the rest of the game.
Utah never trailed, jumping to a 14-5 lead on a 3-pointer by Sharavjamts five minutes into the game. Queens shot poorly to open the game, taking 13 minutes (and 5 of 21 from the field) to reach double figures in points.
After the Utes stretched their edge to 36-17 with 3:28 left in the half, the Royals finished on a 14-5 run to pull within 10 points.
Utah will next face Mississippi State at Southaven, Miss., in the Mid-South Showdown on Sunday. Queens travels to Provo for a matchup with BYU on Wednesday.
–Field Level Media
