SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Sports) - In his final game in the Huntsman Center, Utes star center Branden Carlson came up with one of his best games of the season.
The senior center scored 30 points on 12-of-17 shooting, to go along with 10 rebounds, as Utah cruised past Cal Saturday night, 88-59.
Utah (18-11, 9-9) finishes the season with a home record of 14-2 and is currently slated as the fifth seed in the upcoming Pac-12 Tournament with two games remaining.
Deivon Smith scored 18 points, 10 assists and three steals, while Gabe Madsen hit four three-pointers and poured in 17 points as the Utes led by as many as 29 points in the second half.
Carlson made 4-of-6 three-pointers and also blocked four shots, adding to his school record total.
Carlson had 17 points and six rebounds in the first half as Utah built a 42-32 halftime lead. Jalen Cone scored 10 first-half points for Cal. Former UVU star Fardaws Aimaq's 3-pointer pulled the Golden Bears to 44-37, but Utah scored the next five points and led by double digits the rest of the way. Smith's dunk made it 69-47 with 7:25 remaining.
Utah blew the game open with a 32-12 run in the second half.
Keba Keita had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds for Utah.
The Utes shot 50.8 percent from the floor, and made 12 of 29 three-pointers. The Utah defense held the Golden Bears to just 34.4 percent from the field.
Jalen Cone led Cal with 19 points, as former Utah Valley head coach Mark Madsen lost in his first trip to the Huntsman Center with the Golden Bears.
Going into the game, Utah was listed as one of the first four teams out of the NCAA Tournament, so while Saturday night's victory helps, they still have some work to do in order to secure its first invite to the Big Dance since 2016.
The Utes will wrap up the regular season next week with games at Oregon and Oregon State before tipping off the Pac-12 Tournament.