Despite Better Overall Effort, Utah Falls To No. 3 Iowa State, 82-59
Jan 7, 2025, 8:07 PM | Updated: Jan 8, 2025, 11:09 am
SALT LAKE CITY —Despite a more competitive effort on both ends of the floor, Utah falls to No. 3 Iowa State, 82-59.
Gabe Madsen snapped out of his funk with 20 points but it took him 7-of-19 shooting to get there. Miro Little with 13 points, was the only other player in double-figures for Utah.
In each of the last two contests, the Utes failed to compete in both 20-minute periods. Tonight, the Utes got a better overall effort but were plagued by turnovers.
Iowa State’s defensive pressure created a lot of those turnovers, and the Cyclones scored 25 points off of 18 Utah turnovers.
Final Score:
Utah – 59
#3 Iowa State – 82— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) January 8, 2025
Utah Starting Lineup
Utah’s starting lineup vs Iowa State was Mike Sharavjamts, Gabe Madsen, Mason Madsen, Ezra Ausar, and Lawson Lovering.
First Half – Utah vs Iowa State
It was another sort of slow start for Utah but they eventually got into it. Through the first four minutes of action, Iowa State made it clear how effective they are on the defensive end. After a couple of minutes, Mike Sharavjamts eventually knocked down a three from the right wing and was fouled. He knocked down the free throw which gave Utah a 5-3 lead. Iowa State got going on both ends of the floor after this. The next two minutes, the Cyclones went on a 6-0 spurt to take a 9-5 lead into the first media timeout.
15:57 – After the break, Lawson Lovering made a great pass from the left elbow to a backcutting Mason Madsen for a layup. Miro Little had checked into the game and turned it over on back-to-back possessions. That allowed the Cyclones to score some easy ones and create a 15-7 lead. Gabe Madsen contributed to 7 consecutive points with a layup, an assist to Caleb Lohner, and a 3-point make. That got Utah back into the game, 17-14, before the next media timeout.
11:37 – Following the break, G. Madsen continued to play aggressively on the offensive end. He scored the next 5 points with another layup and 3-point make, before Miro Little knocked down a 3-pointer of his own. That capped a 15-2 run for Utah and gave them a 22-17 lead over Iowa State.
Make that a 15-5 run for the Runnin' Utes after this 👌from @MiroLittle23!!#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/K3SnIRjChE
— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) January 8, 2025
Unfortunately, that Little 3-pointer would be the last field or point scored for nearly five and a half minutes.
7:41 – Following the third media timeout, the Cyclones would go on a run. Iowa State would go on to score 12 unanswered, which gave them a 29-22 lead by the next media break.
Utah simply struggled with the defensive pressure during this run. They turned it over three times and failed to create any decent scoring looks during this stretch.
3:41 – Before the break, Sharavjamts was fouled. After the break, he knocked down just 1-of-2 free throws. That point and an Ausar dunk at the :34 mark were the Utes’ final points of the half. Meanwhile, the Cyclones continued to score offensively and built their lead to 38-25 at halftime.
Second Half – Utah 25, Iowa State 38
M. Madsen started the half with a layup on the opening possession and Iowa State responded with a score on their next possession. However, those would be the only points for about three minutes before Little converted a transition layup through contact at the 16:08 mark. G. Madsen then got into the passing lane and took one the other way for a dunk. Iowa State responded with a layup but G. Madsen was then fouled at the rim on the ensuing possession, which took us to the first media timeout of the half.
Steal and score on the other end by @GabeMadsen53 makes it a single-digit deficit!#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/7NvRG69Fvo
— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) January 8, 2025
15:26 – G. Madsen knocked down both free throws to make it 42-33 after the break. Utah gave up an offensive rebound but ultimately got the stop. That led to a semi-transition opportunity for Utah, which resulted in a Little 3-pointer. After an ISU layup on the ensuing possession, Little created an easy one for Lovering at the rim, which made it 44-38.
In the first five minutes of the half, the refs allowed a lot of physicality on both ends of the floor. That changed after the break and Iowa State benefitted significantly from the favorable whistle. After a G. Madsen 3-pointer that made it 47-41, the Cyclones’ next five points came at the free throw line before the next media timeout.
11:32 – After the break, Iowa State knocked down two free throws that made it 54-41. Utah had a couple of empty possessions but then G. Madsen knocked down a corner 3-pointer, which made it 56-44.
10:30 – Outside of a M. Madsen pullup jumper, the next couple of minutes were empty possessions for Utah. Ausar was fouled twice and went to the line once, where he knocked down 1-of-2 from the line. Little was fouled before the next timeout.
7:40 – Little knocked down 1-of-2 from the line. after the break. Unfortunately, the offense also sputtered for Utah the next couple of minutes. After a couple of turnovers, Iowa State was able to extend their lead to 19 points.
Utah responded with a couple of easy ones at the rim. Lovering put back his own miss at the rim, and Ausar had a dunk on the ensuing possession. That led to a timeout from Iowa State.
5:00 – After the break, Utah got a couple more layups at the rim to fall. Little scored a reverse layup, and then assisted Wahlin cutting to the rim on the next possession. Unfortunately, Utah didn’t get stops on the other end and the Cyclones sat on a 17-point lead at the final media timeout.
3:07 – Over the final few minutes, Utah was unable to cut into the lead. Instead Iowa State kept their starters in the game and extended their lead to 82-59.
