Utah Falters Late as Oklahoma State Pulls Away for Road Win
SALT LAKE CITY - For much of Saturday night, Utah was in the fight. Four players hit double figures, the crowd was into it, and the Utes even held a four-point lead early in the second half. But when it came time to close, Oklahoma State had the answers - and Utah didn’t.
The Cowboys out-executed the Utes down the stretch, turning that brief Utah lead with 15:11 left into a 12-point win, 81-69. It marked Oklahoma State’s first road win in Big 12 play since February 2024, and their third conference victory of the season.
This one stung for Utah - not just because of the loss, but because of how it happened. The Utes (9-12, 1-7 Big 12) were right there for most of the night, but the final minutes told a different story. Head coach Alex Jensen didn’t mince words postgame, pointing to what he called “selfish” play as a key reason his team couldn’t finish.
“Too many guys are in their own world,” Jensen said. “Too many guys start the game thinking about just scoring.
We didn’t pass, and that hurts our defense. But there are other ways to be selfish too - not talking, not being ready to shoot.
We’ve got to do a better job.”
It was a game that never swung too far in either direction - until it did. Neither team led by more than eight points for most of the night, but Oklahoma State found its rhythm late and never looked back. The Cowboys shot 48% from the field and pulled away in the final minutes, stretching their lead to double digits with just over a minute to go.
Utah, meanwhile, sputtered when it mattered most. The Utes shot 41% overall, but their offense stalled late, and the defense couldn’t get the stops it needed. As the game slipped away, so did the cohesion that had helped them build a lead earlier in the night.
“I think we went away from what got us the lead,” said forward Keanu Dawes. “We didn’t come together as a team on both sides of the ball. Defensively, there were a lot of lost possessions, and offensively, same thing.”
The biggest problem for Utah had a name: Anthony Roy. The Oklahoma State guard lit up the Utes with a game-high 26 points, including a personal 9-0 run in the first half where he drilled three straight from deep. He was a problem all night, and Utah never found an answer.
And it wasn’t like Roy came out of nowhere. Jensen said the coaching staff spent the week preparing for him - but the execution wasn’t there.
“We have multiple guys that don’t talk, and that’s one way to be selfish,” Jensen said. “Give Roy credit - he’s hard to guard.
But we’re not a very good defensive team right now. A lot of times it’s not about the scheme.
You’ve just got to guard your guy. And right now, we’re not doing that.”
Offensively, Terrence Brown led the way for Utah with 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting. Don McHenry chipped in 17, while Dawes posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. But Utah was outworked on the glass, getting outrebounded 43-34, and the Cowboys turned those extra chances into 12 second-chance points - a quiet but crucial difference-maker.
For Oklahoma State, Christian Coleman matched Dawes with a double-double of his own: 14 points and 10 boards. The Cowboys weren’t flashy, but they were efficient, and when it mattered most, they played connected basketball - something Utah is still searching for.
This wasn’t the first time Utah has been in a close one and let it slip. And it’s that pattern - being competitive, but not complete - that’s starting to wear on the team.
Jensen, who had praised his squad for making progress in recent weeks, didn’t feel the same way after this one.
“I think we regressed,” he said.
It’s a tough pill to swallow for a team still trying to find its footing in Big 12 play. The effort is there in stretches.
The talent shows up in flashes. But until Utah figures out how to play as one - not just for 20 or 30 minutes, but for a full 40 - wins like this are going to keep slipping through their fingers.