The Runnin’ Utes had their chances to beat Mississippi State. Instead, they’ll have to settle for valuable lessons learned

Utah Utes forward Keanu Dawes (8) dunks the ball during a basketball game against the Alcorn State Braves at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. Utah won 100-59. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

On the surface, Utah’s 78-73 loss to Mississippi State stings a bit.

The Runnin’ Utes had their shot to beat a team that is currently a top 30 program in both the KenPom and Torvik ratings.

By those metrics, this is the toughest team Utah will face during its nonconference slate — and yet, the Utes nearly pulled off the win in a neutral-site environment at Landers Center in Southaven, Mississippi, just a couple hours from Mississippi State’s campus in Starkville.

“You know, a couple plays here or there and the score flips, and we’re super happy,” Utah coach Craig Smith said in his postgame interview on 700 AM. “This is a good team we just played tonight, and it’s that type of team we’re going to see in the Big 12.”

Utah ended up taking a 39-28 lead into halftime — and shut down the Mississippi State offense in the first half — but it couldn’t sustain that advantage, after the Bulldogs used a 22-5 run to start the second half before both teams took turns leading in the game’s final 10 minutes.

Mike Sharavjamts tied the game at 71-71 with a fadeaway jumper with 1:40 to play, but about 30 seconds of game time later, one of the contest’s biggest factors — free-throw shooting — came into play again, and it gave the Bulldogs enough of an edge in the final minute to earn the win.

Keanu Dawes, who had his best day as a Ute, fouled out with 1:13 to play. That sent Cameron Matthews to the free-throw line, where he made both shots to give Mississippi State a 73-71 lead.

On Utah’s ensuing possession, Hunter Erickson was called for an illegal screen, Utah’s 13th turnover of the day, and Ezra Ausar picked up a foul with 42 seconds remaining.

Again, Matthews hit two free throws to make it 75-71.

Ausar then missed a layup where he altered the…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/runnin-utes-had-chances-beat-043021860.html

Author : Deseret News

Publish date : 2024-11-18 04:30:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.