Runnin' Utes Cruise Past ThunderWolves Down the Stretch

Tuesday, October 29

Salt Lake City, UT

7:00 PM

University of Utah

0-0,0-0Big 12

CSU Pueblo [Exh]

0-0,0-0RMAC

Team	1	2	F
CSU Pueblo	36	31	67
Utah	45	53	98

Photo by: Hunter Dyke/Utah Athletics

Runnin' Utes Cruise Past ThunderWolves Down the Stretch

10/29/2024 10:41 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Presser Photo Gallery

The Utah men’s basketball team defeated CSU Pueblo 98-67 in an exhibition game on Tuesday, Oct. 29.

SALT LAKE CITY – Utah men's basketball fans got their first official look at the 2024-25 Runnin' Utes on Tuesday night inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center with Utah walking away with a 98-67 victory over CSU Pueblo in its lone exhibition game before the season-opener.

First half action saw both teams work out their jitters despite the ThunderWolves shooting .481 from the field as a team to Utah's .465 shooting clip. The Utes saw 10 of its 15 available players see action on the floor in the opening frame with Mason Madsen leading the charge with 10 early points on 2-of-3 shooting from deep.

The Utah offense woke up midway through the second half when Madsen and Hunter Erickson erupted for an 18-2 run by themselves behind five 3-pointers. That run was fueled early on when Madsen lobbed it to Erickson from the 18-foot line for a huge two-handed alley-oop jam.

With the separation, fourth-year head coach Craig Smith was able to unload his bench with every available player on Tuesday night seeing action on the floor.

POSTGAME NOTES

Hunter Erickson finished with a game-high 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting – five of which came from downtown
Mason Madsen finished with 15 points on 4-of-9 shooting from 3-point range his first time suiting up as a Runnin' Ute
Ezra Ausar added 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting in just 17 minutes of action
Gabe Madsen rounded things out with 13 points and 4 steals
Utah finished with 26 assists to just 13 turnovers
Utah's defense forced 26 turnovers and held CSU Pueblo to just 7-of-20 from long range

UP NEXT
The 2024-25 Runnin' Utes season will officially tip off on Monday, Nov. 4, when it welcomes in Alcorn State starting at 7 p.m. (MT) inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Krista Blunk and former Runnin' Utes assistant coach Joe Cravens will have the call on ESPN+. Additionally, fans with Utah women's basketball tickets on that day can redeem their ticket for a FREE General Admission ticket at the men's game.

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. Fans can also stay connected on their mobile devices or tablets with the Utah 360, the official app of Utah Athletics, through the Apple Store or Google Play.

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