Runnin' Utes Drop Close Contest to Mississippi State

Saturday, December 13

Salt Lake City, UT / Delta Center

8:00 PM

University of Utah

7-4,0-0Big 12

Mississippi State

5-5,0-0SEC

Mississippi St.

Utah

Runnin' Utes Drop Close Contest to Mississippi State

12/13/2025 11:15 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score Box Score (PDF)Highlights Postgame Presser

Don McHenry’s 29 points not enough as Utah falls to Mississippi State.

By: Austin Eames

SALT LAKE CITY – Despite a hot start, the Utah men's basketball team fell to Mississippi State 82-74 inside the Delta Center during Saturday night's neutral site game as part of the Salt Lake Showcase.

Utah (7-4) jumped out to a 13-4 edge early in the opening frame, forcing a timeout from Mississippi State (5-5) at 14:20 after junior guard Terrence Brown put together a steal-and-score sequence to cap off a 9-0 Utah run.

The Utes then connected on eight of their next 10 – including a three from Don McHenry that gave the home team a 24-14 advantage with 10:12 remaining.

Utah kept its foot on the gas as the half progressed and extended its lead to 40-23 with a pair of free throws from Keanu Dawes at 2:47 that capped off another 6-0 burst.

With their backs against the wall the Bulldogs put together a 7-0 run of their own late in the period, despite the surge, Utah's double-digit advantage remained intact as the Utes took a 42-32 lead into the break.

At the onset of the second frame, Utah gave itself some breathing room with back-to-back threes from McHenry and another steal-and-score sequence from Brown – which ended with a transition dunk that put the Utes ahead 52-37 with 16:58 on the clock.

Ahead 54-40 with 14:41 remaining, Utah saw its opponent revitalized by a 20-2 scoring run that flipped the scoreboard to a 60-56 Mississippi State advantage with 9:24 left in the contest.

However, the Utes responded with a 9-3 run of their own that saw McHenry help his team go back in front, 65-63, with a layup at the 6:47 mark.

Despite Utah's fight, the Bulldogs ended the final five minutes of action 7-of-9 from the floor while holding the Utes without a field-goal (0-for-5) during that same stretch.

Free throws from Brown would get Utah within two of Mississippi State (74-72) at 2:19, but the Bulldogs would extend their advantage in crunch time to stave off the Utes.

Utah was led by McHenry, who finished the contest with a season-high 29 points (9-of-16 FG, 5-of-9 3PT). Brown added 22 points of his own to give Utah's starting guard duo a combined total of 51 points.

BY THE NUMBERS

Don McHenry's 29 points was a new season-high — marks his fourth 20+ point game of the season
Utah shot 60% from three in the first half (6-of-10) … 56% (14-of-25) from the field
With 22 points, Terrence Brown is now up to seven games of 20+ this season
The contest marks the third time this season both McHenry and Brown have scored 20+ in the same game
Keanu Dawes set a new career-high in blocks with 3

UP NEXT
Utah returns to the friendly confines of the Jon M. Huntsman Center as it plays Eastern Washington in its final home non-conference game of the calendar year. Christ Sylvester returns to serve as the play-by-play while former Runnin' Utes assistant coach Joe Cravens serves as the analyst on the ESPN+ broadcast.

SEASON TICKETS & MINI PLANS
Fans still have time to purchase season tickets for the 2025-26 Utah men's basketball season under first-year head coach Alex Jensen. In addition, fans can also choose between two mini plans; the Saturday ONLY Plan starts at $125 while the Conference ONLY plan starts at $150. Single-game tickets for non-conference games are also on-sale starting at just $10 per ticket.

Fans interested in buy season tickets, mini plans or single-game tickets (non-conference) can do so by going online at UtahTickets.com or by phone at 801-581-UTIX (8849).

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 app.

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