The Runnin’ Utes have finally broken through on the road in Morgantown, grinding out a 61-56 win over West Virginia on Feb. 18, but the Utes couldn’t stack the momentum once they returned to Salt Lake City. After battling for 40 minutes against UCF, Utah fell 73-71 on Saturday, Feb 21, at the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
The split week captured the Runnin’ Utes’ season in a nutshell. There are clear signs of growth and development within the program, yet the margin for error in the Big 12 Conference remains razor-thin. At 10-17 overall and 2-12 in conference play, the Utes are still searching for consistency to match their competition.
Key takeaways from the last week
Before the UCF loss, Utah had earned something it hadn’t in 13 long-awaited months: a true road win. The 61-56 win over West Virginia came just a few days after a 69-65 loss at Cincinnati, and it showed what the Utes can look like when they execute late in the game.
Utah defended with discipline, avoided costly mistakes and made timely shots down the stretch that have plagued the Utes in conference play all year. It wasn’t flashy, but it was a composed win. For a team that has struggled to close out tight games, getting the win in Morgantown was a meaningful step forward for Utah.
The challenge was carrying that same level of detail and poise back home against a UCF team that has been in tournament conversation all season long.
Against UCF, the Utes once again found themselves fighting an uphill battle. The Knights shot 52% from the field and controlled stretches of the first half, building a nine-point lead before Utah trimmed the deficit to 41-36 at the break.
In the second half, the Runnin’ Utes responded. A 10-0 run flipped a seven-point deficit into a 62-59 lead with seven minutes left to play. Utah was able to dominate second-chance opportunities, holding a 16-4 edge in second-chance points and finishing a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line.
The turnovers proved to be costly for Utah, committing 11 turnovers, and UCF converted them into 18 points. In a two-point game, those possessions made all the difference.
“It just hurts to lose a game that you know you can win.” Utah guard Don McHenry said. “It didn’t happen a bunch of times, but the feeling right now for me is just wishing we could take a couple plays back, because we were there and we could have won that game.”
The big three delivers again
This season, Utah has leaned heavily on Terrence Brown, McHenry and Keanu Dawes to keep the pace for the Runnin’ Utes. Against UCF, the trio combined for 55 of Utah’s 71 points.
Brown led the way with 21 points, marking his 16th 20-point game of the season. McHenry added 19, including four 3-pointers and three clutch free throws to tie the game 71-71. Dawes recorded his ninth double-double, finishing the game with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Final possession chaos
The closing seconds against UCF were chaotic. After McHenry tied the game from the free-throw line with 13 seconds left. Knights guard, Themus Fulks, wore out the clock and drove to the paint and was fouled by Seydou Traore, the stadium erupted as fans claimed there was no foul. Fulks calmly sank both free throws to give UCF a 73-71 lead.
Utah had one last chance with 3.7 seconds on the clock, a long inbound throw from Dawes to James Okonkwo, and a dish pass back to Brown set up a wide-open three-point attempt. The shot bounced off the back of the rim, sealing yet another narrow Utes loss.
“I’m getting sick of moral victories,” head coach Alex Jensen said. “It’s hard because I think we’re better than our record.”
Up next
The schedule doesn’t ease up. The Utes close their short homestand against No. 4 Iowa on Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 7 p.m. inside the Huntsman Center. The Cyclones just recently knocked off No. 9 Kansas (74-56) and No. 2 Houston (70-67) before falling to No. 23 BYU (79-69).
To finish out the season, the Utes will travel to Arizona State and Baylor, with Colorado on March 3 being the last home game of the regular season. Starting on March 10, the Utes will travel to Kansas City for the first round of the Big 12 Basketball Conference Tournament.
