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March 11, 2005
By JOHN MARSHALL
AP Sports Writer
DENVER (AP) - Andrew Bogut had 25 points and 12 rebounds, and No. 15 Utah nearly blew a 22-point lead before holding on for a 73-67 victory over UNLV on Friday night in the Mountain West semifinals.
Utah (27-4) seemed ready to roll into Saturday's championship game before nearly collapsing against UNLV's pressure defense. The Utes got it together just in time - thanks to Bogut - pulling out a harder-than-it-should-have-been victory for a chance to defend their Mountain West title.
UNLV (16-13) stormed back from a miserable first half behind Romel Beck, but didn't have enough left to finish it off. The Rebels had no answer for Bogut inside and couldn't make the big shot in the closing minutes in losing to Utah for the sixth straight time.
Utah tried to turn the rematch of last year's final into a rout early. The Utes held UNLV to two points during a 7-minute span to go up 14 late in the first half, then opened the second with a 10-2 run that put them up 42-20.
Then Beck brought the Rebels back.
The senior forward hit three 3-pointers during a 14-2 run that cut Utah's lead to 52-46 with 8 minutes left, then trimmed the margin to 57-54 on a hard drive. He added a runner with just over a minute left, finishing with 17 of his 19 points in the second half.
Utah certainly helped. After relying heavily on Bogut early, the Utes inexplicably went away from him during UNLV's run. Once the Rebels got within striking distance, Utah went back to Bogut - and he responded.
Bogut fed Bryant Markson for a layup, then converted inside on the next possession to put Utah up 63-56 with 2 minutes left. UNLV twice cut the lead to three again, but Bogut answered again, this time breaking the press to set up two free throws and a layup by Justin Hawkins that made it 67-62.
But with no players taller than 6-foot-9, UNLV didn't have anyone who could match up with the big Australian all night.
The Rebels tried double-teaming him, but Bogut either kicked the ball out and reset in the post or dribbled until the second player went away. One-on-one, UNLV stood no chance.
Bogut scored Utah's first seven points and had 11 in the first 8 minutes after scoring 11 in 4 minutes against Colorado State in the first round. He finished 9-of-17 from the field.
Bogut was at times a one-man show offensively, but the Utes were united when it came to stopping UNLV.
Dictating the pace with its deliberate offense, Utah prevented the Rebels from running and cut down on their penetration in half-court sets. Point guard Marc Jackson was particularly effective, using his in-your-face style to hound Ricky Morgan into six turnovers.
Of course, it helped that the Utes had Bogut in back to make up for any mistakes.
Bogut blocked just one shot, but the Rebels certainly knew he was there. In one sequence late in the first half, Bogut made Jerel Blassingame change his shot, then turned around and harassed Joel Anthony into a miss on the rebound.
Bogut even took some time for a little spying, listening in as UNLV gathered in the lane before a free throw attempt.
