The Runnin’ Utes fell to the St. Mary’s Gaels, losing 72-63 for their second loss of the season at the Jon M. Huntsman Center on Saturday night.
Utah struggled shooting the three-ball, shooting a season-worst 5-18 from the field (27.8%), and were unable to overcome a stellar performance by sophomore Lithuanian forward Paulius Murauskas, who led the Gaels with 29 points, a season high from him, and grabbing seven rebounds as well.
Despite outscoring the Gaels in the second half, the Utes couldn’t overcome a big first-half deficit and fell to 6-2 on the season. St. Mary’s improved to 9-1 and is on track to make their third straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
The Runnin’ Utes had a tough first half against the St. Mary’s Gaels, struggling on both ends of the floor. Utah’s defense had little answer for the Gaels, who shot a scorching 50% from beyond the arc and 50% overall from the field, despite coming into the game 289th in the nation in 3-point shooting.
The Utes couldn’t find their offensive rhythm either, shooting just 28% from the field. As a result, the Gaels took control early, outpacing the Utes and building a 39-22 lead by halftime. Despite efforts to regroup before half, Utah could not stop the Gaels’ hot shooting or gain momentum heading into the second half.
The Utes showed fight in the second half, outscoring the Gaels 41-33 and keeping the game competitive. Utah kept things close for most of the period, even cutting the deficit to just two points at 57-55 with four minutes left after a clutch layup by Caleb Lohner. However, the Gaels responded with key 3-pointers in the final minutes, including a game-sealing shot from Murauskas with 30 seconds remaining, pushing St. Mary’s lead back out of reach. Despite a strong effort, the Utes couldn’t overcome the late surge, falling 72-63.
Takeaways
Lawson Lovering played in his second game of the season and made an impact on the glass, grabbing eight rebounds, which was second only to Miro Little for the Utes. His presence on the boards helped provide some stability for Utah and is an important part of the Utes transition game as we draw close to Big 12 play.
Little played 36 minutes and finished with 14 points, but his performance was ultimately disappointing for his standards. Despite logging heavy minutes, Little struggled with efficiency, shooting poorly from the field, which is rare for one of the Runnin’ Utes’ key contributors.
Gabe Madsen led the Utes in scoring with 15 points but went just 3 of 8 from the field, marking his second poor shooting performance of the season — both coming against the team’s toughest opponents, with the first at Mississippi State — a concerning trend he’ll need to avoid making a habit.
The next Runnin’ Utes game will be on Saturday, Dec. 14, against Rashford at 5 p.m. MT in the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Students get in free with their UIDs.
