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Runnin' Utes Cruise Past CSU Bakersfield Behind Career-High Night from Madsen

by Utah Athletics
Nov 11, 2022

SALT LAKE CITY – It was the Gabe Madsen show Friday night inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center as the Utah men's basketball team cruised past CSU Bakersfield 72-44 thanks to a career night from Madsen with 25 points.
 
The win marked the first time the Runnin' Utes have held opponents to under 40 points in back-to-back games since 2015 when it held UCLA (Jan. 4) and Colorado (Jan. 7) to 39 and 49 points, respectively, per the Stat Train.
 
Friday night's game saw Utah (2-0) score 14-consecutive points before Kaleb Higgins hit a 3-pointer at the 12:52 mark for CSUB's first points of the game. Madsen only got hotter as the game went on, knocking down 4-of-5 from beyond the arc to lead all scorers in the first half with 14 points.
 
Branden Carlson also had a solid first frame for the Utes, adding nine points on 4-of-7 shooting while Wilguens Junior Exacte had six points heading into the break with Utah on top 36-23.

 
The start of the second half wasn't much different from the opening 20 minutes of action with the Utes kicking it off with a 19-3 run in the first 8:05 of action. During that stretch, Madsen and Ben Carlson put on a show for the crowd with some high-flying dunks and a nifty reverse lay-in.

 
CSU Bakersfield (1-1) tried to chip away at the lead with a 9-0 run thanks to eight-straight from Antavion Collum, but the Utah offense was too much to overcome as Utah walked away with the 72-44 victory.
 
Ben Carlson tied his career-high in points, scoring 10 of his 13 points in the second half with seven rebounds on 5-of-8 shooting. Big man Br. Carlson closed the night with 12 points, six rebounds and two blocks while Exacte finished with 10 points for Utah. Meanwhile, Rollie Worster dished out six assists to go with his six points and four rebounds.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
The last time Utah had different players score 20-plus points in back-to-back games was in November of 2021, Branden Carlson had 21 points ahead of David Jenkins Jr.'s 25 … the last time Utah had 19-plus assists in a game was against Oregon State (23) on Feb. 3, 2022 … last time Utah had back-to-back games with a minimum of 5 blocks was against Sacramento State (9) and Bethune-Cookman (7) to start the season last year … Utah dominated the paint, outscoring CSUB 28-8 and converted 12 turnovers into 20 points … Carlson also picked up his first-career technical at 7:16 mark of the second half.
 
 
UP NEXT
The Utes will have a short turnaround as they welcome in Idaho State for game three of their four-game homestand on Monday, Nov. 14, for a 7 p.m. tilt on Pac-12 Networks. Drew Goodman will have the call between the Runnin' Utes and Bengals while former veteran head coach Mike Montgomery serves as the analyst.
 
For the latest news and information on the Runnin' Utes men's basketball program, fans can stay connected online at www.UtahUtes.com and on social media by following @UtahMBB on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
 
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