The 12th ranked Utah Utes notched another conference win at the Huntsman Center on Sunday evening as they defeated the Washington Huskies 77-56 in a big Pac-12 clash. The game was close at the half but Utah used a 15-1 run during the second half to pull away for the win.

6-foot-5 junior Dakari Tucker led the Utes off the bench with a career high 19 points. He nailed four of five shots from behind the arc. Utah shot 61.1% (11-for-18) as a team from three-point range. Junior guard Brandon Taylor added 14 points and four three-pointers on the evening.

Washington was led by Andrew Andrews, who scored a season-high 22 points in the losing effort. He shot five-of-six from beyond the arc but missed six shots from two-point land. The Huskies shot 42.3% as a team from the floor, well below their season average. The Dawgs have shot a combined 39.9% in their five true road games this season. They have played five neutral site games as well in which they are shooting 45.9% from the floor.

It was the sixth Pac-12 win for Utah on the season to this point, five of which have come at home. Their only road win came on January 15th in Tempe, a 76-59 win over the Arizona State Sun Devils. They suffered their first conference loss just two days later in Tucson to the 10th ranked Arizona Wildcats.

Utah has proven this season that they are a force to be reckoned with in the Pac-12 Conference. They only suffered two non-conference losses, both to ranked team in San Diego State and Kansas. Those game both finished with four or fewer point margins of victory for their opponents. They also earned a tough overtime win over 8th ranked Wichita State back in early December followed by a road win against rival BYU just a week later.

Their strength has shown against a weak Pac-12 Conference. The smallest margin of victory in conference for the Utes was 17, in that win over Arizona State. All of the other wins have been by 20 or more points, in fact, Utah’s average margin of victory in conference is by 23.5 points.

Washington’s loss snapped a brief three-game winning streak.

The Utes will make their Los Angeles road trip this week starting with a Thursday night clash with the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion. They travel across town for a Sunday morning tip-off at the Galen Center against the USC Trojans. Utah has beaten both LA schools already this season.

Washington returns the friendly confines of the Alaska Airlines Arena where they will host the Bay Arena schools. The week tips off on Wednesday night as the Stanford Cardinal make their trek to the Emerald City. Washington will be looking to extend their five-game winning streak against the Cardinal in Seattle, a streak that dates back to January 31, 2008 when current Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez dropped 31 points in a 65-51 Cardinal win. The Dawgs finished with three players in double-figures led by reserve forward Quincy Pondexter with 15 points off the bench.

California is the opponent for a Sunday brunch tip-off. The Golden Bears will be looking to snap several streaks during this game. They have lost eight of their previous nine games dating back to December 22nd. If they lose to Washington State on Thursday, it will be seven straight losses and nine of ten with the lone win in that stretch coming on January 2nd against these Washington Huskies. California also has a two-game losing streak at Alaska Airlines Arena.