3 takeaways from Utah’s win over TCU

Utah picked up its first Big 12 Conference win of the season, beating TCU 82-79 at the Huntsman Center on Saturday in a rare afternoon tilt.

Though Utah saw its eight-point lead with two minutes remaining trimmed to two with 21 seconds to play, the Utes were able to hold off the Horned Frogs by converting at the free-throw line.

Here are three takeaways from a win that moved Utah’s record to 9-9 overall and 1-4 in Big 12 play.

A fast start favors the Utes this time

In three of Utah’s prior four Big 12 contests, the Utes were on the wrong end of a double-digit deficit in the opening minutes of the game.

Against TCU, though, it was Utah that got off to the strong start.

The Utes pushed out to a 14-0 lead, thanks in large part to energy, defense and rebounding. Utah made 6 of 11 field goals during that stretch while the Horned Frogs missed their first nine shots before finally scoring six-plus minutes into the game.

TCU turned it into a back-and-forth game after weathering that opening run — the Horned Frogs outscored Utah 9-1 to start the second half to make it a 39-39 game and TCU tied the game up several times over the final 20 minutes.

TCU never took the lead, though, as Utah had an answer each time to regain momentum.

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Contributions beyond the Big 3

As usual, Utah relied on big games from Terrence Brown, Keanu Dawes and Don McHenry.

Brown came alive in the second half, in particular, and ended up leading Utah with 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting. He scored 18 of those points in the second half.

Dawes had his first double-double since late November, as he scored 10 points and grabbed a team-high 14 rebounds, to go along with three assists.

McHenry, meanwhile, battled through some early shooting struggles and added 12 points, two assists and two steals. He scored six points in the final three minutes.

There were plenty of other Utes who stepped up for Utah, too, in its eight-man rotation.

Seydou Traore also scored in double-figures with 11 points, and added four rebounds and two assists. Obomate Abbey showed nice command of the Utah offense with five points and four assists, while fellow freshman Kendyl Sanders scored nine points and hit a pair of 3-pointers.

Fifth-year senior James Okonkwo added four points and six rebounds before fouling out, and Josh Hayes tossed in five points — every little edge was needed in the win.

Ball movement and 3-point superiority

Utah had some issues with TCU’s trapping defense, as evidenced by the Utes’ 13 turnovers that turned into 15 points for the Horned Frogs.

The Utes, though, were able to make up for it by outrebounding TCU and sharing the ball while being more efficient from deep.

Utah won the rebound battle 40-31, including 14-10 on the offensive glass. The Utes had a 12-7 edge in second-chance points.

Utah also had 17 assists on 30 made buckets, and the Utes made nine 3-pointers to four for TCU.