BOULDER, Colo. ? David Harrison broke Ted Allen's eight-year-old record for career blocked shots, but his line of 18 points, three blocks and five rebounds was not enough to lift Colorado (6-2) over Utah (8-3) as the Buffs suffered their first home loss in 16 tries dating back to last season, Tuesday night.
Harrison's third and final block of the night came at the 6:57 mark of the first half, giving him 162 blocks for his career besting Allen's old mark of 161.
The Utes were led by Nick Jacobson's 21 points, including eight consecutive points during Utah's crucial second second-half run, which put them in the lead for good. Utah outscored the Buffs 41-23 over the final 17 minutes.
After leading 32-30 at the break, the Buffs came out cold, hitting only two field goals in the first 12:11 of the second half.
The Utah defense shut down the Buffs, who hit just 19 field goals for the game. Colorado, which shot 55 percent in the first half, dropped to a dismal 18 percent under the tight second-half defense and finished the game shooting 38 percent overall.
“Give credit to Utah, they came out in the second half with greater intensity than we did,” head coach Ricardo Patton said. “I'm not sure why, but our defense was non-existent. In the first half, they did not guard the four-man ? they just focused on David (Harrison).”
Michel Morandais pitched in 15 points for Colorado, while Lamar Harris had Colorado's first six points and 11 overall. He also grabbed eight rebounds in his 27 minutes of play.
Colorado's winning streak was not the only run broken by the Utes, as Utah didn't allow Blair Wilson to score from beyond the arc ? a feat which hasn't been accomplished in the last 13 games.
Colorado now takes an eight-day hiatus from competition, but will return to action at 1 p.m. Dec. 31 when they face Richmond at the Coors Events Center.
