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SALT LAKE CITY – Brandon Taylor scored 19 points while Jordan Loveridge and Jakob Poeltl added 18 apiece to lead No. 25 Utah to a 90-72 victory over Ball State in its season opener on Friday night.
The Utes (1-0) blew open a tight game in the final five minutes with dominant play around the basket and on the perimeter. Utah had a 35-22 advantage on the boards over the Cardinals (0-1) and enjoyed a 42-14 edge in points in the paint.
Utah also had 11 steals and scored 24 points off those turnovers. It resulted in a crisp offensive performance for the Utes, who shot 59.2 percent (29 of 49) from the field.
Sean Sellers scored 26 points and Zavier Turner added 14 for Ball State. The Cardinals shot 45.5 percent from outside (10 of 22) but it was not enough to hang with an explosive Utah offense.