In first start, Keba Keita records double-double as Runnin' Utes rout Beavers 74-47

SALT LAKE CITY — An 18-0 run and a 10-minute scoring drought ended any chance for Oregon State Thursday night.

The Runnin' Utes and Beavers were locked in a back-and-forth game in a low-scoring affair before the offense dried up for the visiting team, and Utah went on a slow-developing 18-0 run over a nine-minute stretch to closeout the first half to make easy work of Oregon State at the Huntsman Center.

The Beavers, who shot 29% for the game, went scoreless over the first four minutes of the second half, too, and Utah built up a 20-point lead that only grew from there en route to a 74-47 win.

In his first career start, with Lawson Lovering out with an injury, Keba Keita put together a highlight-worthy night in 24 minutes on the floor. The sophomore big finished with a team-high 18 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks — to say nothing of his multiple monstrous dunks — in the win for Utah (13-5, 4-3 Pac-12).

Keita said he was "a little nervous" for his first start, but was mostly focused on not getting into foul trouble to ensure he could stay on the court and help Utah's already limited depth. "I think my mindset to that was to play hard without fouling," Keita said.

The sophomore managed only two fouls on the night and didn't record a foul in the first half in 13 minutes on the court.

"I think Keba responded really well tonight," Branden Carlson said. "Getting your first start is definitely a little nerve wracking, for sure. I think the way that Keba played tonight is just how Keba is; he plays great games for us, and you know what we're gonna get out of him. He just has a killer mentality that he just brings out for the time he's on the floor."

Utah head coach Craig Smith said he was impressed with Keita's performance, and called him a "force and menace down there."

Carlson was held to just 4 points in a mostly quiet first half for the team's leading scorer, but opened up the second half with a 3-pointer and then a dunk to jumpstart a strong second-half effort by the Utes. Carlson added 17 points and 10 rebounds to pair with Keita's double-double.

Adding to Utah's success was Deivon Smith, who in his second straight start with Rollie Worster also out of the lineup due to injury added 14 points, eight assists and five rebounds in another all-around effort from the senior guard. Smith was largely responsible for Utah's 11-point lead at halftime despite the team shooting 40% in the first half.

Craig Smith specifically credited Deivon Smith with limiting Oregon State's leading scorer Jordan Pope to just 7 points on 3-of-10 shooting, the first time this season Pope has been held under double-digit scoring. Pope averages 18.1 points per game but couldn't get many shots off against a much-improve Utah defense Thursday night.

"Jordan Pope is a really good player; he's had an unbelievable year," Craig Smith said. "Coming into tonight's game, over the last five games, he was averaging 21.7 points a game. And so tonight was the first night that he's been held under double digits all year. So to be able to do that, it's team defense, it's individual — Deivon Smith did an unbelievable job. He got a little loose early, and just settled in and had a great mentality tonight.

"I loved how he competed tonight, specifically on the defensive end, because he made it difficult on that guy, and that guy's a very good player."

Utah finished the night shooting a slightly improved 44% from the field, but struggled from the free-throw line (52% on 21 attempts) in a rare showing for the Utes. Utah also outrebounded Oregon State 52-31 and outscored the team in the post 34-12.

Oregon State (9-8, 1-5 Pac-12) was led in scoring by guard Dexter Akanno, who finished with 12 points, including two of the team's seven made 3-pointers, in the loss. Akanno was the only player to finish in double digits for the Beavers.

"We've had to do a lot of different things this week, just with the injuries to Worster and Lawson Lovering, and so I'm really proud of our effort," Craig Smith said. "I thought we really, really competed hard, loved how we defended."

Smith said the team will continue to play around with lineup as the team waits for Worster and Lovering to be available again, though he said he didn't know when that would be this season.

"I don't know that exactly," he said. "I'd be surprised if they play on Sunday, to be quite frank, and then we'll have to see next week where things are at. ... You just never know how these injuries go with recovering. It could be longer than we think, too, I just don't know. But I know our mindset has to be prepare for the worst and hope for the best."

Utah will look to keep the momentum going as the team welcomes Oregon to the Huntsman Center Sunday (1 p.m. MST, ESPN).

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