Utah took care of its southern Utah neighbors on Friday afternoon, beating Utah Tech 84-53 at the Huntsman Center in a rare matchup between the two schools.
The Runnin’ Utes had little trouble beating the Trailblazers in only the third matchup between the sides, as Utah shot 48.5% from the floor while holding Utah Tech to 30.3%.
3 takeaways
The Utes responded well to some early adversity. Utah briefly trailed at 11-10 after a sloppy couple of minutes led to missed shots and some untimely turnovers. This came one game after Utah blew a 39-28 halftime lead on Sunday before losing by five to Mississippi State, a top 30 KenPom team.
Utah, though, overcame that early stretch, going on a 9-0 spurt before adding an 18-7 run late in the first half to create some separation going into the half, where the Utes led 42-26.
Keanu Dawes scored nine straight at one point during the 18-7 run to help the Utes squelch any hopes of an upset.
Utes attack the rim as their length and versatility disrupt the Trailblazers. The Utes, even without Lawson Lovering and Zach Keller, who both continue to miss time with injuries, showed that their length and athleticism in the frontcourt were too much for another overmatched opponent.
Utah used its superior athleticism to earn a 44-24 edge in points in the paint while also outrebounding Utah Tech 50-36.
The 6-foot-9 Dawes scored in double-figures for the second straight game, finishing with 14 points, while adding nine rebounds to nearly finish with a double-double.
He also had two steals and a block.
Ezra Ausar, meanwhile, added eight points, six rebounds and three assists, while Mike Sharvjamts had 10 points and five assists and Miro Little tallied a team-high 11 rebounds to go with four points and eight assists.
Gabe Madsen had a bounceback day. Utah’s leading scorer, Gabe Madsen, put up just 9 points in the loss to Mississippi State in a rare off shooting day.
He matched that total just over 10 minutes into Friday’s game and led the Utes on the day with 19 points while making three 3-point shots.
Madsen shot 8 of 17 from the field in all and also had two steals.
What’s next
Utah (4-1) will stay at home next week as it continues a six-game homestand.
The Utes will host the Mountain to Sea Showcase, facing Mississippi Valley State on Tuesday (7 p.m. MST) and Eastern Washington on Saturday (3 p.m. MST).
Both games will be streamed on ESPN+. Radio broadcasts will be on 700 AM.