SALT LAKE CITY — Ezra Ausar delivered a stellar performance with a career-best 26 points, shooting 11-for-15, while Hunter Erickson excelled by scoring the final six points of the game in a thrilling 73-72 overtime victory for the Runnin’ Utes against BYU on Saturday night.
Erickson contributed nine points to the team’s effort, and Lawson Lovering added 13 points for Utah, improving their record to 11-6 overall and 3-3 in the Big 12 conference.
In the closing moments of the game, Erickson, who has been a reliable free-throw shooter at 92% this season, sank a crucial 3-pointer. Following a layup by BYU’s Richie Saunders, he managed to hit 1 of 2 free throws, bringing Utah within one point with just 47 seconds remaining. Ausar then made a pivotal steal from Saunders, leading to Erickson drawing a foul and converting both free throws with 13.2 seconds left, securing the lead for the Utes.
As the game neared its conclusion, Dawson Baker missed a jumper but the ball went out of bounds favoring Utah with only 6.2 seconds left on the clock. Trevin Knell was fouled during the inbound but could not capitalize, missing the first free throw of a 1-and-1 opportunity. The Utes faced further pressure as Keanu Dawes also missed two free throws, leaving the score at 73-72. In the final seconds, Egor Demin’s chance at a game-winning jumper was thwarted as time expired.
BYU, now at 11-6 overall and 2-4 in the conference, has struggled recently, losing four out of their last five games despite a notable victory against Oklahoma State earlier in the week. Both Saunders and Fousseyni Traore led the Cougars with 16 points each, and a crucial offensive rebound followed by a putback from Traore tied the game at 64 and forced an overtime period.
This season, BYU has yet to secure a win on the road, having lost all four away games so far. Their last road victory came against then-No. 7 Kansas on February 27, 2024. Meanwhile, the Utes have rebounded nicely from a rough patch that saw them lose four straight games, where they were outscored by an average of 20.8 points per game, and are now riding a three-game winning streak.
