The Runnin’ Utes fell at home to the Arizona State Sun Devils on Saturday night 63-61. After being down just 33-30 at halftime, ASU turned up the heat on defense early in the second half and Utah couldn't solve the puzzle, but the Utes stormed back to tie after being down as much as 14 with 11:53 to go.

Here are the takeaways from the game:

A roller coaster of a game

Despite being down three points at halftime, Utah was the more confident looking team. Other than a few poor turnovers that led to ASU turnovers, Utah moved the ball well and was led by Marco Anthony's 11 first half points. Adjustments were made by the ASU staff at half and Utah could not break through the 2-3 zone that stifled the Utes in the paint, leading to easy buckets for Arizona State.

ASU looked like a different team and built a 14-point lead that Utah seemingly could not overcome. Then, Utah recovered in the final ten minutes of the game, chipping away at the deficit until Branden Carlson hit a three-pointer with 2:00 minutes to tie the game at 59, only for ASU to win in the final possessions.

Even though this is a "transition" season and the first year under a new coaching staff, this team has played hard all season. UteNation had noted the small wins and progress through the losses, but it must be acknowledged again.

Credit Arizona State for coming out of halftime and building a comfortable lead in the second half, but credit must also be given to Utah for not laying down to a blowout and nearly winning the game.

The scoring drought was the difference

Utah went nearly seven minutes early in the second half without a field goal, buoyed by only three separate free throws. Arizona State scored 11 points in that same stretch and led by as many as 14 points during that period. The lead felt even larger because of the manner in which it happened, with Arizona State looking absolutely dominant.

Utah won the turnover battle, seven to 11, had nine steals to two, and shooting percentages, assists, and rebounds were relatively close. A couple made baskets and free throws in that seven minute span would have kept the game from nearly getting out of hand and given Utah a better chance to win the game. The team needs to find a way to even some of their extended cold-spells and their record could look much different.

Carlson and Anthony were the offense

Outside of Carlson and Anthony were the Utah offense. They led the way with 15 and 19 points, respectively. Gave Madsen was the only other Ute close to double-figures with nine. The rest of the team shot a combined 6-21.

As teams continue to adjust to star freshman Lazar Stefanovic, he’ll need to show his growth by adjusting them, as well. Stefanovic has been held to 4.3 points per game in his last six games.

Up next

The loss drops the Runnin’ Utes’ record to 11-18 on the season and 4-15 in Pac-12 play. Utah hosts Colorado on March 5th for the regular season finale before the Pac-12 tournament.