Dec. 31, 2007

Box Score

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) -- Matt Bouldin scored a career high 26 points, including 20 in the second half, as Gonzaga outlasted Utah 61-59 on New Year's Eve.

Bouldin made 8 of 11 shots, including 6-of-8 3-pointers, as Gonzaga (10-4) snapped a two-game losing streak that dropped the Bulldogs from the Top 25.

Tyler Kepkay scored 16 points to lead Utah (8-4), which stayed close by making a season high 11 of 26 3-pointers, but shot just 40 percent in the game.

Shaun Green and Luke Nevill added 15 each for the Utes, who came into the game as the nation's fourth-best shooting team at 51 percent.

After leading by one at halftime, the Zags scored the first 10 points of the second half -- seven by Bouldin -- for a 36-25 lead. Bouldin hit a pair of 3-pointers during a 12-3 Gonzaga run for a 50-38 lead with seven minutes left.

The Utes kept scoring, but Bouldin made two more 3-pointers to maintain a 56-45 lead.

Nevill scored three straight layups to cut Gonzaga's lead to 56-51 with 2:07 left.

After Jeremy Pargo scored for the Zags, Curtis Eatmon's long 3-pointer brought the Utes to within 58-54 with 1:03 left.

After a Bouldin free throw, Nevill sank a long jumper to cut Gonzaga's lead to 59-56 with 10.3 seconds left.

Utah fouled on the inbound play and Josh Heytvelt sank both free throws for a 61-56 lead with 8.8 seconds left. Eatmon's 3-pointer at the buzzer was not enough for Utah.

Despite horrendous shooting, the Utes led most of the first half until Gonzaga's Pargo tied the score at 19 with 3:36 left. The teams swapped baskets until Pargo's 3-pointer lifted Gonzaga to a 26-25 halftime lead.

Heytvelt scored 14 points in the first half for the Zags, topping his season high, and finished with 16. The Zags shot 50 percent in the game.