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Men's Basketball
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Tuesday, December 5
Salt Lake City, UT
7:00 PM
University of Utah
6-2,0-0Pac-12
88
vs
86
Southern Utah
2-6,0-2WAC
1
2
F
Southern Utah
40
46
86
Utah
47
41
88
Team Stats
SUU
Utah
FG%
.500
.540
3FG%
.462
.294
FT%
.737
.714
RB
31
35
TO
13
10
STL
5
8
Game Leaders
Pts
23
FGM
11
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
19
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballC
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballPhoto by: Hunter Dyke/Utah Athletics
Men's Basketball Outlasts Southern Utah at Home
12/5/2023 10:35 PM | Men's Basketball
The Utah men’s basketball team fended off a feisty Southern Utah team to win 88-86 Tuesday night.
SALT LAKE CITY – The #--/RV Utah men's basketball team didn't play the way it wanted but was able to outlast Southern Utah Tuesday night inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center to walk away with the 88-86 victory.
The first half was a bit sloppy for the Utes on the defensive end as it allowed Southern Utah to stay within striking distance as they headed into the locker room with just a 47-40 lead. Keba Keita had a solid start to the game off the bench for Utah, scoring 13 points with six rebounds on 6-of-7 shooting in just of 10:11 minutes of action for Utah.
Utah (6-2) also had a balanced attack offensively with six players scoring at least five points. The Runnin' first took a double-digit lead at the 9:40 mark on a lay-in from Lawson Lovering followed by another lay-up from Hunter Erickson before Southern Utah hit a three to bring the lead down to single-digit, 31-22.
The Utes pushed their lead back up to double-digits once again after scoring six-straight points before the T-Birds answered with a 13-6 run to cut that lead back down to 47-40 at the half.
Utah opened the second frame with a 12-2 run to force a SUU (2-6, 0-2 WAC) timeout with 16:12 on the clock but the T-Birds didn't back down, answering with a 17-4 run of its own to get within 63-59 of Utah out of the 11:52 media break.
Every time the Utes would push their lead up to eight, Southern Utah answered right back to cut the lead back down to one or two possessions each time. However, as well as the Thunderbirds were playing, time ended up being their biggest nemesis as Utah held on to win 88-86.
Keita finished with a game-high and career-high 23 points on 11-of-12 shooting with 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals – all while coming off the bench. Gabe Madsen also added 19 points of his own for the Utes with 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Ben Carlson, who made a spot start with Branden Carlson out Tuesday night, also had a new career-high with 15 points and 10 rebounds for his first-career double-double. Rollie Worster also recorded a double-double of his own, scoring 12 points to go with his 10 assists.
BY THE NUMBERS
Utah won the 12th meeting between the Utes and Southern Utah, giving the Utes a 10-2 edge all-time … Keita became the third Ute this season to score 20-plus points in a game and the fifth time this season Utah has had a player score 20-plus points … Worster picked up his first double-double of the season and second of the year when he found Madsen for a corner three at the 4:59 mark … the last time Utah had two players with a double-double came against Washington last season with Worster and Marco Anthony … the last time Utah scored 50-plus points in the paint was against UTSA last season … third time this season Utah has dished out 22 assists in a game.
UP NEXT
The Runnin' Utes have a huge game inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center this Saturday, Dec. 9, as Utah plays host to #14/13 BYU for 264th meeting between the two heated rivals. Guy Haberman will guide fans through the action alongside the legendary Bill Walton on Pac-12 Networks at 5 p.m. (MT). Utah hopes to snap its three-game skid against the Cougars while BYU tries to keep their undefeated record intact as the future Big 12 foes duke it out once again.
For the latest news and information on the Runnin' Utes men's basketball program, fans can stay connected online at www.UtahUtes.com and on social media by following @UtahMBB on Facebook, X and Instagram.
The first half was a bit sloppy for the Utes on the defensive end as it allowed Southern Utah to stay within striking distance as they headed into the locker room with just a 47-40 lead. Keba Keita had a solid start to the game off the bench for Utah, scoring 13 points with six rebounds on 6-of-7 shooting in just of 10:11 minutes of action for Utah.
Utah (6-2) also had a balanced attack offensively with six players scoring at least five points. The Runnin' first took a double-digit lead at the 9:40 mark on a lay-in from Lawson Lovering followed by another lay-up from Hunter Erickson before Southern Utah hit a three to bring the lead down to single-digit, 31-22.
The Utes pushed their lead back up to double-digits once again after scoring six-straight points before the T-Birds answered with a 13-6 run to cut that lead back down to 47-40 at the half.
Utah opened the second frame with a 12-2 run to force a SUU (2-6, 0-2 WAC) timeout with 16:12 on the clock but the T-Birds didn't back down, answering with a 17-4 run of its own to get within 63-59 of Utah out of the 11:52 media break.
With the patience, and the ???, @ben_carlson20 ties his career-high??#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/EnFw3JtLgJ
— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) December 6, 2023
Every time the Utes would push their lead up to eight, Southern Utah answered right back to cut the lead back down to one or two possessions each time. However, as well as the Thunderbirds were playing, time ended up being their biggest nemesis as Utah held on to win 88-86.
"Nobody's gonna step in front and stop that??"@Keba_Keita_13 with the ??#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/gBybZMHMQQ
— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) December 6, 2023
Keita finished with a game-high and career-high 23 points on 11-of-12 shooting with 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals – all while coming off the bench. Gabe Madsen also added 19 points of his own for the Utes with 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Ben Carlson, who made a spot start with Branden Carlson out Tuesday night, also had a new career-high with 15 points and 10 rebounds for his first-career double-double. Rollie Worster also recorded a double-double of his own, scoring 12 points to go with his 10 assists.
BY THE NUMBERS
Utah won the 12th meeting between the Utes and Southern Utah, giving the Utes a 10-2 edge all-time … Keita became the third Ute this season to score 20-plus points in a game and the fifth time this season Utah has had a player score 20-plus points … Worster picked up his first double-double of the season and second of the year when he found Madsen for a corner three at the 4:59 mark … the last time Utah had two players with a double-double came against Washington last season with Worster and Marco Anthony … the last time Utah scored 50-plus points in the paint was against UTSA last season … third time this season Utah has dished out 22 assists in a game.
UP NEXT
The Runnin' Utes have a huge game inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center this Saturday, Dec. 9, as Utah plays host to #14/13 BYU for 264th meeting between the two heated rivals. Guy Haberman will guide fans through the action alongside the legendary Bill Walton on Pac-12 Networks at 5 p.m. (MT). Utah hopes to snap its three-game skid against the Cougars while BYU tries to keep their undefeated record intact as the future Big 12 foes duke it out once again.
For the latest news and information on the Runnin' Utes men's basketball program, fans can stay connected online at www.UtahUtes.com and on social media by following @UtahMBB on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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