Ezra Ausar scored 21 points and hauled in eight rebounds to lift Utah to a 74-69 win over Kansas State on Monday night in Salt Lake City.
Ausar scored 15 points in the second half and went 7-for-7 from the free-throw line for the game, a performance that included a pair of clutch makes with five seconds remaining to help the Utes (15-11, 7-8 Big 12) follow their upset win over then-No. 17 Kansas with another big victory.
Lawson Lovering contributed 15 points and 10 rebounds and Gabe Madsen added 13 points as Utah earned its fourth straight home win.
Brendan Hausen scored 17 points while making five 3-pointers while Dug McDaniel and Max Jones each posted 13 points as the Wildcats (13-13, 7-8) dropped their second straight game in the Beehive State. Kansas State lost at BYU on Saturday to snap a six-game winning streak.
The Utes dominated the boards with their height advantage, outrebounding the Wildcats 51-28 overall. Utah finished with 21 offensive boards to make up for 38.1 percent shooting from the field.
Ausar had one of the biggest offensive rebounds, scoring on a putback and turning it into a three-point play to give Utah a 67-61 lead with 1:17 left in the game.
Kansas State had erased Utah’s nine-point, second-half lead just under two minutes earlier on a runner by C.J. Jones.
The Wildcats pulled within 69-67 in the final minute thanks to threes by Coleman Hawkins and Hausen.
Kansas State forced a Utah turnover with 44 seconds remaining to get a chance to tie the game or take the lead, but the Wildcats then had a giveaway of their own. Utah then beat the ensuing press defense, resulting in a Mike Sharavjamts dunk and a four-point lead.
With his team down 72-69, Hausen missed a long 3-point attempt with seven seconds left. Ausar grabbed the defensive rebound and got fouled, leading to his free throws with five seconds to go.
Utah didn’t make a field goal for the final 7:55 of the first half — after a Jake Wahlin layup gave the Utes a 25-18 lead — but still managed to go into the locker room tied at 32.
The Utes took a 44-35 lead by opening the second half on a 12-3 run, but the Wildcats eventually caught up before Utah clutched up in the end.
–Field Level Media
