The Runnin' Utes faced a near impossible task Tuesday night in Ames, Iowa as they tried to take down the 3rd best team in the nation. Although Utah put up a fight early in the first half, Iowa State's smothering defense was just too much to handle, and the Cyclones came away with an easy 82-59 victory.

Here's the takeaways:

First Half Scoring Drought Dooms Utah

After taking a surprising 22-17 lead with 9:07 to play in the first half, Utah looked like they might be up to the challenge. However, over the next eight and a half minutes, the lid was closed on the Utes hoop as they failed to record a single field goal over that stretch. In fact they only scored 3 total points in that final nine minutes of the half. A stretch like that would've put Utah in a nearly insurmountable hole against any team, but against a top 5 team, it made things virtually impossible.

The Bench Didn't Help

The Runnin' Utes needed everything to go right to have a chance against the Cyclones, and the differences between the two benches told a major part of the story of why Utah failed in this one. The Utes bench was outscored 28-17, and had 10 turnovers compared to just 4 for the Iowa State reserves. At one point, the bench was being outscored 26-10 before closing the gap in mop up duty. Hunter Erickson really struggled, finishing with 0 points and 3 turnovers in 21 minutes. Miro Little was the lone bright spot off the bench, chipping in 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.

Gabe Madsen Getting Out of Slump?

Gabe Madsen finally hit double figures in scoring after four straight single-digit finishes, finishing the game with 20 points on 7/19 shooting. His 19 attempts were the most of the season, as were his 14 three point shots. While it was good to see him pile up the points again, his overall inefficient night still hurt the team as they tried to keep up with the Cyclones.

Madsen and Utah need to find the balance in getting him in double-figures without hurting the flow of the offense. Whatever that is, expect the coaching staff to spend more time figuring it out. Until Madsen finds his groove again, the losses will likely pile.

Up Next

The Runnin' Utes will return to the Huntsman Center Saturday to host the 9-5 Oklahoma State Cowboys.