STANFORD, Calif. – Sophomore KZ Okpala posted his Pac-12 leading 11th 20-point performance of the season with a game-high 22 for Stanford, but the Cardinal fell short in a 70-66 setback to Utah Thursday night at Maples Pavilion.
Okpala scored 16 of his 22 points after halftime, tying the game at 63-63 on a three-pointer with 1:19 remaining.
Utah's Parker Van Dyke put the Utes back ahead with a layup high off the glass on the other end with 55 seconds left.
Sedrick Barefield converted four free throw attempts and the Utes took a 69-66 lead with 22 seconds remaining.
The Cardinal (9-10, 2-5 Pac-12) searched for the equalizer on the other end, but Utah (10-8, 4-2 Pac-12) came up with the rebound on a Bryce Wills miss as the seconds expired to secure the win.
It was a tight game throughout, with neither team leading by more than six. Stanford took a 54-48 advantage on a Daejon Davis layup with 8:39 remaining. Utah responded with an 8-0 run, capped by back-to-back threes from Barefield, to put the Utes on top.
Davis added 17 points, four assists and three steals, while senior Josh Sharma posted nine points, 12 rebounds and a career-high-tying four blocks for the Cardinal.
Stanford finished with 10 blocks as a team in the contest, its most since the Cardinal recorded 12 against Wisconsin-Green Bay on Nov. 13, 2015.
Barefield had 18 points, and was 4-of-5 from three, to guide Utah in the game.
Stanford returns to action Saturday at 5 p.m. at Maples Pavilion, as the Cardinal hosts Colorado.
