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SALT LAKE CITY -- Kyle Kuzma posted career highs with 23 points and 19 rebounds as Utah defeated Northwest Nazarene 81-37 in its season opener Saturday evening.Utah fans got their first full glimpse of the new-look Utes and their roster consisting of just two legitimate contributors from last season.This morning, I was just extra turned up, Kuzma said. I dont for whatever reason. Its game day.I tried to bring energy. I think that was the biggest thing. When we have energy-givers, then everybody feeds off of that.The Utes struggled mightily for the first 16 minutes of the first half until a 17-3 run basically put the game away after they led 36-20 at halftime. Utah shot under 40 percent most of the first half as the offense seemed to have no real direction.Kuzma started passively, like the rest of the team, but picked up the aggression and finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds in the first half alone. He highlighted the 17-3 stretch with a spinning floater while being fouled. Teammate Tyler Rawson added 13 points.Its a starting point for us, Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak said. We had guys that tried to push the issue a little bit too much. Didnt trust the offense. We cleaned it up a little bit and got some composure in the second half.Some of its jitters. Got to find some consistency and some roles.Northwest Nazarene, which was playing a back-to-back after defeating Simpson University 92-67 on Friday, shot just 16.4 percent from the field and 1 for 25 from behind the arc. Maurice Jones scored 11 points. The 37 points are the fourth fewest Utah has allowed since 1982.Obviously, we played a team that was much bigger and more talented to their level, Northwest Nazarene coach Scott Flemming said. I never would have thought we would shoot the ball so poorly tonight. We have a really good shooting team. We hit eleven 3s last night against different competition.Even the open looks we got, I think that was the biggest problem. Now when youre not making shots, all of the other things kind of are obvious, too -- their rebounding, their size, all those kind of things. It hurts in transition. It still is a good game for us to have.BIG PICTURENorthwest Nazarene: No harm, no foul for the Crusaders. As a Division 2 member of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, the loss doesnt count toward their regular-season record. Plus, they have to feel pretty good about the early parts of the first half against a Pac-12 program that has reached the NCAA Tournament the last two seasons.Utah: Theres lots of work to do for a Utah team with just two returners having played significant minutes. The offense had no flow for much of the game outside of the spurts when Kuzma took over. The defensive intensity came and went. The Utes must improve before Pac-12 play or they will live up (or down) to their preseason pick of finishing No. 8 in the league.SHORT STAFFEDUtah will be without newcomers David Collette and Sedrick Barefield until the Utes play face Prairie View A&M on Dec. 17. The two will miss the first eight games due to transfer rules, but are expected to be starters once they return. Sophomore Parker Van Dyke, freshman Devon Daniels and redshirt freshman Jayce Johnson started alongside returning starters Kuzma and Lorenzo Bonam.BALL CONTROLThe Utes had 19 turnovers, including seven from Bonam, who had six at halftime. Krystkowiak said the goal was 12. Bonam struggled all around with just five points and going 0 for 4 after making his first basket.UP NEXTNorthwest Nazarene: The Crusaders face Portland Bible in Caldwell, Idaho, in the Taco Bell Shootout.Utah: The Utes host Concordia on Tuesday and Coppin State on Friday as they open the season with three games in six days. Air Jordan Discount . Ryan Garbutt had a goal and two assists as Dallas snapped a six-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. Fake Jordan .Y. - Rob Manfred was promoted Monday to Major League Baseballs chief operating officer, which may make him a candidate to succeed Bud Selig as commissioner. https://www.jordanchina.us/ . PAUL, Minn. Air Jordan Outlet . It just didnt show when he hit the ice. Berra made 42 saves and Kris Russell scored at 1:32 of overtime, lifting the Calgary Flames to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night. Cheap Jordan From China . -- Catcher Brett Hayes has agreed to a $630,000, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, avoiding salary arbitration. LONDON -- Her champions heart still beat with life and hope. Venus Williams had played through seemingly endless deuces. Swatted away break points. A burst of energy got her to deuce one more time, and she capitalized by walloping a desperate inside-out forehand winner.Then Williams opponent did her part. Angelique Kerber, up a set, missed a service return and saw her second-set lead trimmed to 3-2. Williams still had a chance. She might still find a way to win this Wimbledon semifinal.Williams trudged to her chair, breathing through parted lips. She sat, a blank look on her face. She popped the red plastic cap on her water bottle, took a sip. She closed her eyes, as if something she didnt particularly care to read were written in the air in front of her. The message might have been: Youre 36 years old. Youve had a great run. But all good things come to an end.Trailing 3-2. So close, but so far. It had cost so much effort. Her legs had stood her in good stead through five matches, providing sufficient spring to launch wicked serves, explosive first steps, on-a-dime changes of direction and minor midpoint stance adjustments. Now they were flagging as she faced Kerber, an extremely clever ball striker.The 28-year-old German knew exactly what she wanted to do. She was aware of Williams age. She knew Williams suffers from an autoimmune condition that causes fatigue and joint pain. She knew her opponents history at Wimbledon.?Kerber said she was too busy taking care of things on her own side of the net to notice if Williams was a little slow or tired.I know that she played long matches, in the first week especially, Kerber said after she eliminated Williams 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday in an hour and 12 minutes. I was trying to moving her. That was the plan. That is always the plan when you play against Venus, because when she have the ball on the racket, yeah, she just hits the ball from left to right, and you just run.Kerber, the No. 4 seed, has had trouble handling the pressure of her status as a Grand Slam champion after her breakthrough win at the Australian Open in January. The versatile left-hander had no trouble curbing the stress Thursday.Ever stoic, 8-seed Williams refused to blame fatigue -- or any factor but Kerbers proficiency -- for the loss: She played so well. Just credit to her for playing well. Second [Grand Slam] final of the year. It shows shes doing something right.It was clear from the outset of the match that almost two full weeks of work, often under circummstances that might have warranted extra pay for the wet, hazardous conditions, had finally taken a toll on Williams.dddddddddddd The first week, overflowing with stops and starts, was as emotionally wearing as it was sloppy and fitful. Williams passed grueling three-set tests in the second and third rounds (her win in the latter took two hours and 24 minutes). She celebrated with a pair of knockout wins in the next two rounds to reach the semis.Williams and Kerber both struggled to serve early in Thursdays match. Kerber, whose second serve is vulnerable, admitted she was feeling the jitters. Williams took advantage. Kerber is an excellent returner. Williams, whose serve is usually explosive, lacked spring in her legs. Kerber took advantage.I dont know what was the problem, Kerber said. I think we both were returning very well at the beginning of the first set. I mean, I was a little bit nervous when I go out there because I was trying to playing my best tennis.Williams quickly went two breaks down in the first set. She never led in the match. Her fatigue is written all over the stat sheet:Only 15 percent of her serves went unreturned -- her lowest number in her six Wimbledon matches this year.She won by far her lowest percentage of first-serve points (57 percent; next lowest was 65 percent).She clocked her second-lowest average first serve speed.She didnt hit a single service-return winner.She produced her worst performance of the tournament in rallies lasting longer than nine shots. Williams won just two of nine such points; in her opening match, she won 11 of 19.Still, Williams dug in and earned back one of those first-set breaks. She pressed hard when Kerber served for the set at 5-4 but just didnt have enough power to break through. Discouraged, Williams gave up an early second-set break. She staved off a rout with that hold in the 3-1 game, but the American was unable to keep Kerber from rolling to the win.I played against a lot of great opponents. I had a lot of tough matches. Its not easy out there, Williams reminded reporters afterward. Reflecting on the threat she posed for so long in this tournament at her age, she added, Yeah, in life there is no such thing as impossible. Its always possible. Thats what you feel as an athlete. Pretty much our job is to make the impossible happen every day. Its like magic, you know. I like that. ' ' '