By Jeremy Kahn

photo credit: distinctathlete.com Utah’s Jakob Poeltl who socred a team leading 21 points against Cal on Wednesday night

After two straight hard fought home wins over the Arizona State Sun Devils and the then 12th ranked Arizona Wildcats, the California Golden Bears return to the road, where they have struggled this season.

Jakob Poeltl scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds, as the Utah Utes defeated the Golden Bears 73-64 at the Jon Huntsman Center.

Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Taylor each 15 points for the Utes, who have four straight games and have improved to 16-5 overall and 5-3 in PAC-12 play.

Jaylen Brown tied his career-high with 27 points, while Ivan Rabb added 12, as the Golden Bears fell to 1-5 on the road this season.

The Utes put together a 23-4 run after they trailed the Golden Bears by five points in the second half. Taylor came up big during the run, as he nailed back-to-back three pointers, while Poeltl scored on a dunk and an old fashioned three-point play and Kuzma ended the run with six straight points to give the Utes a 58-44 lead.

Brown got the Golden Bears back in the game, as he scored on a three-point play to bring the Golden Bears to within four points.