The Utah Runnin’ Utes won a hard-fought battle against the Eastern Washington Eagles Saturday at the Jon M. Huntsman Center, 88-80. The game was close the entire game as every time the Utes increased their lead, EWU scored a few baskets to keep the game interesting.
Here are some of the takeaways from the game:
Difficult night shooting
The Utes went to the free throw line for 45 attempts on the night, well more than double the 18 Eastern Washington saw in the game. Unfortunately, Utah only made 28 of those attempts, or roughly 62%. In a game that was pretty close the entire time, a few more free throws could have easily kept this game out of reach for the Utes.
Additionally, a normally successful team from three-point range, Utah was just 4 of 19 (21.1 percent) compared to Eastern Washington’s 11 (36.7 percent). If the Utes got closer to their season average from three and improved their free throw percentage, they would have easily eclipsed 100 points and likely limited some of EWU’s transition points.
Gabe Madsen, however, was 11 of 12 on free throws and 3 of 8 from three-point range as he ranked 3rd in all-time three-pointers made in school history.
Love came alive in the second half
Coming back from his injury, Lawson Lovering was expected to take some time to return to his full potential. At 7’1″, Lovering dominated the Eagles’ front court, but had a very modest first half with just 1 point and 3 rebounds. Then, he perked up after halftime to finish with 16 points and 8 rebounds, all As Utah begins to get into the meat of its schedule, strong play from Lovering will be needed in what should be a deep and loaded Big 12 Conference.
Ausar escape game
The junior transfer from East Carolina has had some solid performances this season, but this game looked like a true breakout play from Ezra Ausar. Ausar, 6’8″, 242 pounds, was a force that Eastern Washington couldn’t contain in the first half to reach 11 points. He would finish the game with 20 points, but it could have been more, as he was just 6 of 12 from the free throw line If he can continue to grow in Craig Smith’s system, he could become a real matchup problem, especially with Lovering’s back and la. versatility and size of Mikeh Saravjamts.
Following
The Runnin’ Utes will host 7-1 St. Mary’s next Saturday, December 7 on ESPN+ at 5 p.m. MT.
