PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — The losing trend continues for Utah men’s basketball.
After the team’s first loss of the season to Cal Poly last week, the Runnin’ Utes showed a little more life Tuesday night in the Acrisure Classic Series semifinal against Grand Canyon, but ultimately they were just antelopes.
Grand Canyon used an 11-3 run to open the game, built a 12-point lead in the opening minutes of the second half and held on to secure a 68-58 victory in a game the Antelopes controlled from start to finish.
Utah (5-2) made it a game early after erasing a hot start from Grand Canyon (4-2), and eventually got the go-ahead run from Jacob Patrick, who scored consecutive 3-pointers and then a floater midway through the first half.
After a quick and energetic start to the game, both teams evened out a bit and had a simultaneous three-minute drought, while mostly trading baskets for the duration of the half. Grand Canyon quickly took control in the second half and held a double-digit lead against a Utah team that couldn’t break through the defense.
Even during a nearly six-minute drought by the Antelopes, Utah could only come close to cutting the deficit to 6 before Grand Canyon took another double-digit lead, where it remained all night.
Grand Canyon locked down Utah guard Terrence Brown and frustrated all of his attempts to factor in the offense as the team’s leading scorer. Brown finished with 9 points on 3-of-11 shooting, while forcing him to commit four fouls.
But Brown wasn’t alone, even though he was the Antelopes’ main target. Utah shot just 41 percent from the field and 61 percent from the free throw line.
Surprisingly, however, Grand Canyon shot worse than Utah from the field at 40%, including 0 of 10 from the 3-point line. But the Antelopes made up for Utah’s 14 turnovers, which they converted into 17 points at the other end.
In the loss, Utah was better on the rebounding front – an area of struggle lately – and overwhelmed Grand Canyon 40-33, but the team’s poor shooting and turnovers ultimately doomed a comeback.
Utah was led in scoring by Don McHenry, who finished as one of only two Utes players in double figures with 14 points and three rebounds in the loss. Keanu Dawes added 10 points and 12 rebounds in another double-double performance.
At Grand Canyon, three players finished in double figures in scoring, with Jaden Henley leading the scoring with 18 points and three rebounds, and Efe Demirel adding 12 points and five rebounds in the victory.
With the loss, Utah will face Ole Miss — ranked No. 36 at KenPom — on Wednesday (10 p.m. MST, CBSSN) in the third-place game of the multi-team event, with Grand Canyon moving into the winner’s bracket against an Iowa team that receives votes in the latest Associated Press Top 25 rankings.
Early in the season, a game against Ole Miss could have served as a resume for a possible NCAA Tournament bid, but Utah is far from that conversation as the team is now dropping back-to-back games against teams ranked under 100.
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