Second half rally falls for men’s basketball vs. St. Mary’s

Box score SALT LAKE CITY – A first-half shooting slump was too much to overcome for the Utah men’s basketball team Saturday night at the Jon M. Huntsman Center as they fell 71-63 to #RV/RV St. Mary’s despite a second-half performance . half rally.

Utah struggled to find its rhythm on offense in the first half, shooting just 23.5 percent of the ball and managing just eight field goals. The Utes stayed close early, trailing 14-10 at the 14:20 mark before St. Mary’s broke through with a 15-4 run to take a 29-14 lead at 7:46.

Utah (6-2) appeared to have some life left with a quick 6-0 spurt, but once again went cold on the floor, hitting just 1 of 13 from the field in the final 6:23 of the first frame until it fell behind went 39-22.

Caleb Lohner brought the crowd to its feet as his former Baylor teammate Miro Little threw him a two-handed jam at 15:18. Utah’s run continued Gabe Madsen He knocked down a 3-pointer, followed by a steal and a bucket to put the Runnin’ Utes up 49-41 with 13:55 to play.

Madsen sent a long jumper into the far corner to make it 49-43, before the Runnin’ Utes went on an 8-2 run when Lohner sandwiched four points from Little at the free throw line to make it 57-55 over Utah – the closest score of all got the remaining 4:05 minutes of action.

Utah got within three points of St. Mary’s (9-1) on a couple of possessions, but Paulius Murauskas – who had a game-high 29 points – kept the Utes within reach with seven of the Gaels’ last nine points, to give Utah the win, their first home loss in 11 games since last season.

Madsen finished the game with a team-high 15 points, while Little recorded his first career double-double, scoring 14 points with 10 rebounds and 6 assists – including 6-for-6 shooting from the line. Mason Madsen also contributed 10 points from the bench. Lohner finished with

AFTERMATH NOTES

• With his three triples on Saturday, Gabe Madsen Moves to No. 2 on the all-time 3-pointers list, passing Johnnie Bryant (245; 2005-08) and now has 247 career 3-pointers
• Gabe Madsen jumps three spots to 31st on the all-time scoring list, tying George Fisher (1,134; 1963-66) after scoring 15 points for Utah on Saturday
• On Saturday, Utah lost at home to St. Mary’s for just the second time and fourth time overall (16-4).
• Caleb Lohner made his Utah men’s basketball debut after a 14:20 media timeout
• Lohner’s first basket and first points of his career as a Ute came with 15:18 left in the second half when he slammed in a lob Miro Little 8 points, 5 rebounds and a steal on 4-for-9 shooting from the floor in his debut for the Utes
• All 8 points for Lohner came in the second half

For the latest news and information about the Runnin’ Utes men’s basketball program, fans can stay connected online and on social media by following @UtahMBB on Facebook. X and Instagram. Fans can also stay connected on their mobile devices or tablets with Utah 360, the official app of Utah Athletics, via the Apple Store or Google Play.

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