On Tuesday night, fans piled into the Huntsman Center to get a sneak peek at the 2014-15 Utah squad at Night for the Runnin’ Utes. What those fans didn’t know is that it would soon turn into the Jordan Loveridge show just minutes into the first game.
Loveridge scored 12 points in game one to lead all scorers as he led the White team to victory, 35-14. Loveridge followed that performance up with an encore in the second of the 16-minute games, scoring 15 points, but this time for team Red who beat its counterpart 29-21.
“It’s kinda more of the same, we are fine tuning some stuff,” head coach Larry Krystkowiak said. “…We’re making progress. I like where we are going and I like the team and the camaraderie.”
Loveridge got some help from point guard Delon Wright in game one, who dazzled the crowd with steals, and-one’s and even the deep ball to help team White get the win. Wright finished with 10 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals and an assist all in 14 minutes of work.
Leading the way for the Red team were two freshmen, Isaiah Wright and Kyle Kuzma who registered three points each. The Red team couldn’t get much going in game one as it shot only 6-for-17 on field goals and were doubled up in the rebounding battle, 12-6.
Game two saw some players swap sides, including the top performers on each team. Wright and Loveridge were now playing for Red, while Kuzma and Wright were playing for White.
Loveridge followed up his game one outburst by coming out in the second game and scoring 15 points in 15 minutes. He was 5-for-6 from the field, including shooting perfect from the three-point line. In addition to the scoring, Loveridge also grabbed four boards and registered an assist.
Loveridge attributes his hot shooting to the work he put in over the summer.
“I changed my shot a little bit with my dad this offseason,” Loveridge said. “…In the gym, shooting a lot of shot and that little change helped me a lot.”
Team Red also got production from the seven-foot freshman from Austria, Jakob Poeltl. The big man looked offensively polished and poised for a freshman, finishing with 8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block and 1 steal. Despite still growing into his body, Poeltl was one of the more impressive freshmen of the night.
“He’s a fun guy to play with,” Loveridge said. “Throw it up to the rim, nothing’s a bad pass when you’ve got a guy like that to throw it up to … Just a team player, just wants to win.”
Isaiah Wright led the way again for his team in game two, leading the White in scoring with 9 points on 3-of-6 shooting. All of the Idaho native’s points came from behind the arc.
With Night with the Runnin’ Utes out of the way, Utah now looks forward to Nov. 6 when it hosts Pacific in the first game of the season. For Loveridge and company, that can’t come soon enough.
“Everyone’s healthy, everyone’s ready to go,” Loveridge said. “We’re ready to start beating up on other people other than each other. We’re ready to start playing and getting into the season.”
g.adams@chronicle.utah.edu
@GriffDoug
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