Saturday, December 13
Salt Lake City, UT / Delta Center
8:00 PM
University of Utah
7-4,0-0Big 12
74
vs
82
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Mississippi State
5-5,0-0SEC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi St. | 32 | 50 | 82 |
| Utah | 42 | 32 | 74 |
Runnin' Utes Drop Close Contest to Mississippi State
12/13/2025 11:15 PM | Men's Basketball
Don McHenry’s 29 points not enough as Utah falls to Mississippi State.
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
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.
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.
###
Players Mentioned
Team Stats
MS
Utah
FG%
.508
.453
3FG%
.400
.348
FT%
.667
.750
RB
32
33
TO
8
14
STL
10
6
Game Leaders
Pts
29
FGM
9
3FGM
5
FTM
6
Pts
22
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
7
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
1
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