Runnin' Utes Battle but Fall to Baylor at Home

Saturday, January 25

Salt Lake City, UT

2:30 PM

University of Utah

11-8,3-5Big 12

Baylor

13-6,5-3Big 12

Baylor

Utah

Photo by: Sophia Kuder/Utah Athletics

1/25/2025 6:13 PM | Men's Basketball

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The Utah men’s basketball team couldn’t make enough stops against Baylor in 76-61 loss.

SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah men's basketball team found a way to cut the #RV/RV Baylor lead down to single-digits late in the second half but couldn't make enough stops in its 76-61 loss Saturday afternoon inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center.

The Runnin' Utes (11-8, 3-5 Big 12) got off to a hot-start, specifically Ezra Ausar, who reeled off six-straight points – including a thunderous jam that forced Baylor to call a timeout (16:59) with Utah on top 9-2. However, the Bears answered after regrouping out of that timeout and reeled off a 20-5 run before the Utes pulled the trigger on a timeout at the 10:13 mark down 22-14.

Despite going without a field-goal for a total of 9:34 minutes, Utah found a way to self-correct itself and slowly chip away at the Baylor (13-6, 5-3 Big 12) lead before closing out the final four minutes of the half on a 13-4 run behind 4-of-5 shooting from the floor.

Jake Wahlin got the Utes going early in the second frame with back-to-back baskets before Ausar went back to work in the paint. The Atlanta native went on to score 11 of the next 18 points for Utah to get within 61-53 of the Bears with 5:43 left to play.

Unfortunately, Utah managed just four more field-goals the rest of the game while Baylor outscored the Utes 15-8 the rest of the way to close out the game.

Ausar finished with a team-high 19 points on 7 boards to lead the time – 13 of which came in the second half. Miro Little played well of the bench for Utah against his former squad, finishing with 12 points on 8 rebounds with 7 assists – including a 6-for-6 effort at the line.

POSTGAME NOTES

Utah suffered its first sweep of against an opponent in league play as members of the Big 12 and now holds a 3-2 edge over Baylor all-time
Utah had a scoring-drought that lasted 9:43 and was 0-for-13 from the field during that stretch
Miro Little finished with a career-high 3 steals
Utah was a much better in the turnover column, committing just 11 and led the points off turnovers category 12-11
The .217 shooting clip (5-for-23) from beyond the arc on Saturday was the second-lowest shooting percentage this year

UP NEXT
Utah wraps up its short homestand with #RV/-- Cincinnati on Tuesday, Jan. 28, inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center as the two square off for the first time since Dec. 28, 1965, an 84-66 affair in favor of the Bearcats in Cincinnati. However, Utah's lone win against UC came on New Year's Day in 1963, a 76-68 battle that went in favor of the Utes in SLC. Rich Waltz and Pete Gillen will call the action for fans on CBS Sports Network as the two programs duke it out for the first time as conference foes starting at 8 p.m. (MST). CBSSN channel for your area can be found here.

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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