Runnin' Utes Home Win Streak Ends in Heartbreaker Against No. 8 Wildcats

Utah dropped their first home game of the season against the No. 8 Arizona Wildcats, the game was Utah's first triple overtime contest since 2005

The Runnin' Utes played their hearts out down to the very last second but were outlasted by the No. 8 Arizona Wildcats in a triple-overtime thriller.

Utah overcame a first-half deficit of as much as 16 points to force triple overtime but fell to the Wildcats, 105-99. The defeat is the Runnin' Utes' first home loss of the season (12-1).

Arizona overwhelmed Utah in the contest's first half. The Wildcats led 41-25 entering halftime, holding Utah to 11-34 shooting from the field and 2-10 from beyond the arc.

Luckily, the game didn't end at halftime because the Runnin' Utes looked like a completely different team down the stretch.

To begin the second half of play, Utah chipped away at Arizona's lead before going on an 11-0 run spurred on by seven points from Gabe Madsen to tie the game at 63-63 with 6:09 left in regulation.

Madsen was the most electric player on the court coming back from halftime. All in all, the 6-foot-6 sharpshooter from Rochester, Minn., went 4-5 on three-pointers, scoring 14 of his 17 total points in the second half to give the Runnin' Utes a chance to win in overtime.

The play of the night was Madsen's game-tying transition three-pointer with 19 seconds left in regulation.

The play developed in part thanks to Devion Smith, who gathered one of his 11 rebounds on the night and fed Madsen, who knocked down a tough triple to send the game into overtime, 76-76.

GABE. MADSEN.

TIE BALL GAME!! :19.4 remaining!! @GabeMadsen53 #GoUtes pic.twitter.com/5sMqMBsrX4

— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) February 9, 2024

The first two overtime periods saw both teams go back and forth for the lead. Hunter Erickson opened up the first OT with a massive three-pointer to put Utah up 79-76. The Wildcats would crawl back but were denied the lead after a Dikembe Mutombo-esque rejection from Keba Keita.

NO. SIR. @Keba_Keita_13 🚫#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/NtqG7e86Ff

— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) February 9, 2024

The block wouldn't be Keita's only superhuman feat during overtime. The 6-foot-8 center from Mali also elevated for a long-range alley-oop assisted by Deivon Smith in the second OT. Keita scored six of his 18 total points during overtime.

After over 50 minutes of game time, Utah gassed out in the game's third and final overtime.

The Runnin' Utes shot 1-5 to end the game and saw the Wildcats pull away. After a lights-out shooting performance in the second half, Utah ended the game shooting 1-8 from beyond the arc in OT. 

The nail in the coffin, however, was Utah's free-throw shooting. The team shot a measly 47% (10-21) from the stripe compared to Arizona's 75% (24-32).

Despite the heartbreaking loss, the Runnin' Utes showed they can compete with the best. Utah also saw a number of its players achieve significant personal achievements.

With 14 points, 10 assists, and 11 rebounds, Deivon Smith became the first Runnin' Ute ever with two or more triple-doubles in a season. Moreover, Smith's second triple-double of the season makes him the first Pac-12 player since Andre Iguodala with 2+ triple-doubles in a season (3; 2003-04).

In addition to Smith's achievement, Branden Carlson moved into the top-10 all-time scorers in Runnin' Ute program history. Carlson's game-high 27-point performance gives him 1,644 career points at Utah.

The Runnin' Utes will be back in the Huntsman Center, on Saturday, Feb. 10, to finish out their three-game homestand. The team will look to stay in NCAA tournament contention with a home victory over Arizona State.