Utah guard Rollie Worster (25) shoots against Stanford forward Brandon Angel (23) during the first half at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Sat Dec 31, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (5-9, 0-4 Pac-12) remain winless in conference play after being chopped down by the undefeated (division) Utah Runnin’ Utes (11-4, 4-0 Pac-12), on a rainy New Year’s Eve on the Farm, 71-66.

Stanford trailed most of the initial 20 minutes of play, and fell behind by ten points early in the half. Utah had a 10-0 run to sustain their advantage on the road. The Cardinal managed to make a 7-0 charge, and had a deficit of that same amount of points (7) at intermission, 30-23.

Sophomore forward Harrison Ingram led the Cardinal with seven points and five rebounds, while senior center Branden Carlson topped the Utes with 11 points.

In the second stanza, Utah pushed the lead back up to double-digits within the first three minutes after the break in action.

Although the Utes pushed their advantage to as high as 16 points, the Cardinal kept chipping away and cut the margin to single digits several times, getting as close as two points away from their guest from the Beehive state with just over two minutes left in regulation.

However, Utah was able to hit crucial free throws down the stretch, while Stanford did not, resulting in a five point loss, 71-66.

The Cardinal was led by senior forward Spencer Jones’s 16 points and four rebounds. Sophomore guard Isa Silva added 11 points, junior forward Max Murrell chipped in ten points. Ingram only added two second half points to his halftime total, tallying nine points, seven rebounds and five assists, but 0-3 from the free throw line in crunch time.

The Runnin’ Utes had four players in double-digits: Sophomore guard Lazar Stefanovic (20), Carlson (18), junior guard Gabe Madsen (10 points & 7 rebounds) and senior guard Marco Anthony (10).

Stanford will next be in action Friday, January 6, 2023, across the Bay in Berkeley, for part one of the Battle of the Bay versus Cal. Utah will be back in Salt Lake City to host Oregon State, January 5, 2023.