The University of Utah men’s basketball team secured its 2026-27 season opener with a hard-fought 66-63 victory over Long Beach State on Monday night at the Huntsman Center. The win, however, was marred by a sluggish start that saw the Runnin’ Utes trailing by 17 points early in the second half. Utah’s turnaround relied on intense defensive pressure and two critical scoring runs—a 10-0 stretch followed by a 15-2 surge—that finally shifted momentum in their favor late in the game.
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The final seconds of the contest highlighted the Utes’ defensive resilience. With 21 seconds remaining, Long Beach State’s Malek Gomma missed two free throws, a lapse that would have granted Utah a comfortable two-possession lead. The Beach retained a slim hope for overtime, but Utah’s defense forced McCaden Adams, a Utah native, into a difficult long-range three-point attempt on the final possession. The shot missed, and Trey Campbell secured the rebound, extinguishing any chance of a comeback and sealing the close loss for the Big West Conference opponent.
Despite the win, head coach Alex Jensen expressed significant disappointment with the team’s execution, noting that the performance represented a step backward. “I think we took two steps back and maybe one step forward tonight,” Jensen stated, emphasizing that the team cannot repeat the individual and collective mistakes seen in the first half. The coach stressed the importance of building on the three successful exhibition games while correcting the errors that allowed Utah to dig itself into such a deep hole against a non-conference opponent.
Source: Yahoo Sports
