Runnin' Utes Drop Tuesday Night Contest to No. 3 Houston

Tuesday, February 10

Salt Lake City, UT

7:00 PM

University of Utah

9-15,1-10Big 12

Houston

22-2,10-1Big 12

Houston

Utah

Photo by: Anna Fuder/Utah Athletics

Runnin' Utes Drop Tuesday Night Contest to No. 3 Houston

2/10/2026 10:26 PM | Men's Basketball

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Dawes led Utah with 15 points and 8 rebounds in loss to visiting Cougars

By: Austin Eames

SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah men's basketball team fell in a match up against one of the nation's top programs, the third-ranked Houston Cougars, inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center on Tuesday evening.

Utah (9-15, 1-10 Big 12) overcame an early 11-4 deficit with a 7-2 scoring run that brought the team within 13-11 on a jumper from Keanu Dawes at 13:34.

The Runnin' Utes remained within striking distance over the next few minutes before Houston (22-2, 10-1 Big 12), led by Emanuel Sharp's five consecutive three-pointers, extended its advantage to 33-18.

Despite the scoreless stretch, Utah maintained its poise and responded with a much-needed defensive stand—holding the Cougars without a field goal during the final 4:35 of the period to keep the game close. The Utes' defensive shutdown allowed them to cut Houston's advantage to single digits as the game went into halftime at 34-25.

The second half mirrored the first as the UH defense stifled Utah's offense, holding the Utes to just six points in the first 10 minutes of the frame.

Utah converted more opportunities down the stretch with 21 points in the final 10 minutes of the game, but Houston's defense proved to be too much as it secured a 66-52 victory.

Utah was led by Dawes, who finished with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists in the game. Seydou Traore and Terrence Brown joined Dawes in double-digit territory with 12 points each.

BY THE NUMBERS

Despite the loss Utah finished the game with a better shooting percentage than its opponent. Hitting 44.4-percent of its attempts (20-of-45) compared to Houston's 43.3-percent mark (26-of-60).
Seydou Traore tied a season-high with 4 assists in the contest (4, Cal Poly, 11/20/25).

UP NEXT
Utah embarks on its lone road swing later this week for the Cincinnati and West Virginia trip. The Utes first take on Cincinnati at 10 a.m. (MST) / Noon (EST) inside Fifth Third Arena with Eric Rothman and former Providence head coach Tim Welsh on Sunday, Feb. 15. The seventh all-time time meeting between the Utes and Bearcats is scheduled to air on ESPN or ESPN2.

The Runnin' Utes will then return to Morgantown, W.V., to take on the Mountaineers of West Virginia on Wednesday, Feb. 18, at 6:30 p.m. (MST) / 8:30 p.m. (EST) on FS1. Noah Reed is on the call alongside NBA veteran LaPhonso Ellis as Utah looks to get back in the win column against the Mountaineers after dropping both games last season to WVU in its first season as members of the Big 12 Conference.

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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