Scoring was not supposed to be a problem for Utah's basketball team, but the Utes had trouble generating enough offense Monday night in a 78-69 loss to Minnesota at Williams Arena in Minneapolis.
The Utes (1-1) trailed by 15 points at one stage of the second half, as their defense also failed them. They got within five points about six minutes to play, but the Golden Gophers (2-0) stayed in control.
Senior guard Sedrick Barefield overcame first-half foul trouble and cold shooting to make two baskets during the run that cut into Minnesota's lead. He finished with 14 points for Utah, matching Vante Hendrix's production off the bench, and Novak Topalovic added 13 points.