Second Half Surge Not Enough as Runnin' Utes Fall to Buffaloes

Tuesday, March 3

Salt Lake City, UT

7:00 PM

University of Utah

10-20,2-15Big 12

Colorado

17-13,7-10Big 12

Colorado

Utah

Photo by: Sophia Kuder/Utah Athletics

Second Half Surge Not Enough as Runnin' Utes Fall to Buffaloes

3/3/2026 10:29 PM | Men's Basketball

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Despite outscoring its opponent 53-41 in the second period, Utah couldn’t overcome its first half deficit in the 92-78 loss to Colorado.

By: Austin Eames

SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah men's basketball program fell to the Colorado Buffaloes, 92-78, Tuesday night inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center.

Utah (10-20, 2-15 Big 12) overcame an early 6-2 deficit with an impressive sequence from Terrence Brown, who tied the game (6-6) at 17:40 by jumping a Colorado pass and converting the turnover into a transition dunk.

Brown continued to pour on the scoring as the period progressed, leading the Runnin' Utes at halftime with 9 points. Despite the effort from Utah's prolific junior guard, the Buffaloes controlled the court for the majority of the period, shooting an impressive 66.7 percent from the field (22-of-33) and 63.6 percent from three (7-of-11).

Due to its opponent's efficient shooting, Utah saw itself down 51-25 to Colorado (17-13, 7-10 Big 12) heading into halftime.

It truly was a tale of two halves as the Utes came out of the break looking like a completely new team—turning a once-26-point deficit into a 63-52 game (with 10:52 to go) after a 6:16 sequence wherein Utah outscored the Buffs 19-4.

After its strong start to the second period, Utah continued to press, getting within single digits (69-60) on a three-point play from Don McHenry at the 8:58 mark.

All in all, the Utes shot a 73.9 percent shooting clip in the second half (17-of-23), outscoring Colorado 53-41 in the period. Utah also shot 85.7 percent from three (6-of-7) in the second stanza, good enough for the best beyond-the-arc shooting half of the season.

Despite the renewed second-half effort, Utah was eventually unable to overcome the Buffaloes' large first-half advantage, falling 92-78 in the final home contest of the 2025-26 season.

Brown led the Runnin' Utes with a game-high 26 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, and a steal. McHenry rounded out Utah's double-figure scoring tandem with 19 points—15 of which came in the second half alone—4 assists, 1 rebound, and a steal.

With the loss, Utah is now locked in at the No. 16-seed for the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament on Tuesday, March 10. Mike Monaco and Miles Simon will have the call on ESPN+ starting at 1 p.m. (MST) / 2 p.m. (CST) inside T-Mobile Center as the Runnin' Utes take on the No. 9-seed in the second game of the first session to open the tournament.

BY THE NUMBERS

The .857 shooting clip from 3-point range (6-of-7) in the second frame ranks fourth-best in program history in a single-game
Utah lost only one turnover in the second half
With a combined 45 points, the game against Colorado marks the 13^th time this season Don McHenry and Terrence Brown combined for 40-plus points

UP NEXT
The men's basketball team will conclude the 2025-26 regular season on Saturday, March 7, when it travels to Waco, Texas, to take on the Baylor Bears at Foster Pavilion beginning at 3 p.m. (MST) on Peacock.

TICKET DEALS
Fans interested in buy tickets to the final three remaining home games 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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