Utah survives late rally, hands No. 14 BYU 1st loss of season

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Gabe Madsen made five 3-pointers and scored 17 points, and Utah beat No. 14 BYU 73-69 on Saturday.

Utah (7-2) shot 49% from the field in its fourth consecutive win. Branden Carlson had 15 points and eight rebounds, and reserve Keba Keita added 10 points.

Jaxson Robinson scored 17 points for BYU (8-1), and Richie Saunders had 13. Dallin Hall had 11 points, and Spencer Johnson finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

The Cougars shot 36.6% from the field, including a 7-for-30 performance from 3-point range.

After trailing by 17 points early in the second half, BYU got back into the game when Utah missed eight straight shots and scored a single point over an eight-minute stretch.

Robinson converted a layup off a steal and drained a 3-pointer to cap an 11-2 run that trimmed Utah’s lead to 61-59 with 4:38 left.

Madsen’s fifth 3-pointer gave Utah a 71-64 lead going into the final minute.

BIG PICTURE

Utah: Length and height advantages served the Utes well in defending the perimeter and dictating the game’s tempo for large stretches before halftime. But Utah struggled to close out on the offensive glass to prevent BYU from getting extra possessions.

BYU: The nation’s top perimeter offense went ice cold from outside the arc. Utah successfully rushed the Cougars into ill-advised shots on numerous possessions, disrupting their normal offensive rhythm.

UP NEXT

Utah hosts Utah Valley on Saturday.

BYU hosts Denver on Wednesday.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball