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Utah Extends Win Streak to Seven With Victory Over Washington State

The Runnin' Utes are hot and couldn't be stopped against the Washington State Cougars as Utah achieved one of the largest margins of victory in program history.

Austin Eames

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Despite a sluggish start against the Washington State Cougars in their first conference game of the season, the Utah Runnin’ Utes stormed back en route to a dominant 80-58 victory. 

The game, which took place on Dec. 29th at the Huntsman Center, marked the Runnin’ Utes last ever Pac-12 opener, as the program is set to move to the Big 12 Conference next season. 

After jumping to an 8-1 lead over the Cougars early, Utah struggled mightily throughout the rest of the first half. The team went just 3-11 from the floor in the last five minutes and entered the locker room shooting a measly 38.9% overall. 

Despite a relatively lackluster performance, the Runnin’ Utes controlled a 31-29 halftime lead over the Cougars, in large part due to strong offense from sophomore Keba Keita. With the help of some monstrous dunks, Keita finished the half with 10 points on 4-5 shooting. 

Whatever Runnin’ Utes head coach Craig Smith said in the locker room most definitely resonated with the team, as Utah looked like a completely different team in the game’s second half. 

As a team, the Utes went 15-25 (60%) on field goals in the second half, including shooting 7-11 (63.6%) from beyond the arc. 

The team’s most exciting sequence of the second half came after Coach Smith called a timeout following a Cougar field goal that put Utah down 40-34 with 16:03 left in the game. After the timeout, Utah rallied back with a 14-4 scoring run that included a trifecta of Gabe Madsen three-pointers. 

Madsen, a 6 '6 senior guard for the Runnin’ Utes, did what he does best, and rained down a shower of three-pointers as Utah completely flipped the script of the game. Despite going scoreless in the first half, Madsen ended the game with 20 points on 6-9 shooting with four shots made from beyond the three-point line. 

Up 48-44 with 12:22 left in the game, the Runnin’ Utes never looked back. Utah maintained their lead for the rest of the game, even going on a 14-0 scoring run near the end of the game to lock in their seventh victory in a row. 

Dec 29, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes guard Gabe Madsen (55) takes a three point shot over Washington State Cougars forward Andrej Jakimovski (23) during the second half at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Creveling-USA TODAY Sports / Christopher Creveling-USA TODAY Sports

Utah’s 22-point margin of victory is the third largest in program history. Besides Madsen’s lights-out offensive display, fifth-year Branden Carlson finished with an impressive stat line of 19 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 blocks. 

One of the best performances of the night came from Keita, who added eight points in the second half to end the night with 18 total. The sophomore from Mali continued his breakout year adding 11 rebounds and three blocks, earning a double-double for his fantastic performance off the bench. 

“Keba Keita I thought really impacted the game with his shot blocking, rim protection. He played with a lot of force and physicality. That’s what you’ve got to do when you play Washington State,” Coach Smith said.

When the Runnin’ Utes are playing at their best, they’re one of the hardest teams in the country to beat. With their victory over the Washington State Cougars, Utah moves to 10-2 on the season and hasn't lost a game in well over a month. 

Currently, the team ranks 33rd in Andy Katz’s Power 36 Rankings and are receiving the fourth most votes (45) to enter the AP Top 25 rankings. 

Utah has a big upcoming week. Between Dec. 31st and Jan. 6th, the team will compete in three conference games against Washington, Arizona State, and Arizona.

The final game of the stretch will be the Runnin’ Utes long-awaited matchup against No. 4 Arizona Wildcats. Utah will hope to repeat history, as they handed the Wildcats a loss in their first meeting last season. 

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Austin Eames
AUSTIN EAMES

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