Runnin' Utes Come Up Short Against No. 15 Texas Tech

Wednesday, January 14

Lubbock, TX / United Supermarkets Arena

7:00 PM

University of Utah

8-9,0-4Big 12

Texas Tech

13-4,3-1Big 12

Utah

Texas Tech

Runnin' Utes Come Up Short Against No. 15 Texas Tech

1/14/2026 9:58 PM | Men's Basketball

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Utah fought hard to overcome a lofty first half deficit, but fell, in 88-74 road loss to Red Raiders.

By: Austin Eames

LUBBOCK, Texas – The Utah men's basketball team couldn't contain No.15/14 Texas Tech on Wednesday night, falling to the Red Raiders 88-74 inside United Supermarkets Arena.

After Texas Tech jumped out to an early advantage, hitting its first five field goal attempts of the contest, a Utah timeout at 15:15 flipped the script. Coming out of the timeout, the Runnin' Utes fired off an 8-0 run, hitting 4-of-6 shots from the field to get within 15-14 of the Red Raiders on a layup by freshman Kendyl Sanders.

Utah (8-9, 0-4 Big 12) continued its impressive play as the period progressed, overcoming a slow start to earn a 20-19 lead over the Red Raiders on a three from freshman Obomate Abbey at 10:45.

Things were looking up for the Utes before Texas Tech (13-4, 3-1 Big 12) responded with a 23-4 scoring run immediately after Abbey's bucket. The run stretched the Red Raiders' advantage to 42-24 with 4:14 remaining in the frame.

Utah overcame its 5:32 stretch without a field goal with another Abbey three at the 3:51 mark. From there, the Utes closed the half on a strong note—holding Texas Tech to 2-of-6 shooting in the final 3:02 of the period while cutting their deficit to 50-38 heading into halftime.

Coming out of the break, Keanu Dawes made a quick impact with two big threes, including a triple at 17:26, to get Utah within single digits (55-46) of Texas Tech with 17:26 left.

Despite Dawes' early push, the Red Raiders would retake and subsequently maintain their double-figure edge over the Runnin' Utes for the rest of the second half—despite Utah keeping the scoring margin close, 38-36.

Ultimately, Texas Tech's strong start led by JT Toppin was too much for the Utes, who fell 88-74.

Dawes led Utah with 18 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. Utah's starting guard duo of Terrence Brown and Don McHenry added 17 and 18 points respectively.

BY THE NUMBERS

With 12 threes, Utah has now hit 10-plus three-pointers in a game five times this season
With 18 points and 9 rebounds, Keanu Dawes has now finished with 9 rebounds (one shy of a double-double) eight times this season
Utah continues to find valuable play off the bench, outscoring the Red Raiders 18-2 in bench points

UP NEXT
Utah returns home to the friendly confines of the Jon M. Huntsman Center as it plays host to TCU for a Saturday (Jan. 17) matinee on TNT starting at 12 p.m. (MST). Spero Dedes will have the call with Greg Anthony serving as the analyst and Jared Greenberg roaming the sidelines. Saturday's game will also simulcast on TruTV and HBO Max.

SEASON TICKETS & MINI PLANS
Fans can choose between two mini plans; the Saturday ONLY Plan starts at $125 while the Conference ONLY plan starts at $150. Single-game tickets for 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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