Runnin' Utes Apply Pressure But Fall to No. 11 Kansas

Saturday, February 7

Lawrence, KS / Allen Fieldhouse

12:30 PM

University of Utah

9-14,1-9Big 12

Kansas

18-5,8-2Big 12

Utah

Kansas

Photo by: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Runnin' Utes Apply Pressure But Fall to No. 11 Kansas

2/7/2026 3:51 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Highlights Box Score (PDF)

Keanu Dawes earns seventh double-double of the season with 22pts/12reb in Utah’s loss at Kansas

By: Austin Eames

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Utah men's basketball team continued conference play with a 71-59 loss to #11/11 Kansas Saturday afternoon inside Allen Fieldhouse.

Runnin' Utes forward Keanu Dawes caught fire in the game's early going, accounting for eight points as Utah (9-14, 1-9 Big 12) took a 12-8 advantage into the 15:51 media timeout.

Kansas (18-5, 8-2 Big 12) responded to Utah's quick strike with an 8-0 spurt of their own to retake an 18-14 edge with 12:23 to go in the first stanza.

The Utes would not back down as the half progressed, playing hard to maintain pace with their opponent and getting within one possession of the Jayhawks (30-27) on a pair of free throws from forward Seydou Traore at the 4:06 mark.

Utah continued to show defensive resilience as the half wound down, as Kansas preserved its advantage and went into the break ahead 38-31. Dawes led the Utes with an efficient first frame scoring effort—guiding the team with 12 points and 3 rebounds on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting split (2-of-2 from downtown).

The Runnin' Utes came out of the break with all cylinders firing, flipping the game's momentum and forcing a Jayhawks timeout at 18:34 after two quick buckets from McHenry and Dawes got the visiting team within 38-36.

Down 40-42 at 16:45, Utah saw its opponent begin to pull away, as the Jayhawks unleashed an 18-4 scoring run over the next 8:31 of action—taking a 60-44 advantage with 7:34 to go. With their backs against the wall, Dawes stopped the Utes' bleeding with back-to-back scores, including a layup at 6:17 that earned him his 20^th point of the contest and got Utah within 60-48 of Kansas.

Despite facing consistent pressure from the Runnin' Utes, the Jayhawks maintained their double-digit lead down the stretch, spoiling Utah's first-ever trip to Allen Fieldhouse with a 71-59 conference win.

Dawes led Utah with a 22-point, 12-rebound double-double. The starting guard duo of Terrence Brown and McHenry rounded out the team's trio of double-figure scorers with 16 and 12, respectively. Brown added 4 steals, 3 assists and 2 rebounds to stuff the stat sheet while center James Okonkwo finished with a career-best 4 blocks.

BY THE NUMBERS

With 4 blocks against Kansas, James Okonkwo tied a career high he set earlier this season against Oklahoma State (1/31/26)
Keanu Dawes recorded his seventh double-double of the season with 22 points and 12 rebounds against the Jayhawks. Dawes has now recorded 13 double-doubles in his career.
For the sixth time this season, Terrence Brown finished a game with 4 steals. Brown's last game with four steals came against Kansas State (1/20/26)
- Utah finished with 8 steals against Kansas, doubling the Jayhawks' total of 4
Utah held Kansas to 17 percent shooting from beyond the arc in the contest. The Jayhawks went 0-9 on three-point attempts in the second half

UP NEXT
The Big 12 gauntlet continues as Utah returns home to host No. 8/8 Houston on Tuesday, Feb. 10, starting at 7 p.m. (MST) inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Dave Flemming returns as he guides fans through the action alongside former UCLA Bruin Sean Farnham on the ESPN2 broadcast as the Cougars make their first visit to the Jon M. Huntsman Center.

SEASON TICKETS & MINI PLANS
Fans can choose between two mini plans; the Saturday ONLY Plan starts at $125 while the Conference ONLY plan starts at $150. Single-game tickets for conference games are also on-sale starting at just $10 per ticket.

Fans interested in buy season tickets, mini plans or single-game tickets (non-conference) can do so by going online at UtahTickets.com or by phone at 801-581-UTIX (8849).

For the latest news and information on the Runnin' Utes men's basketball program, fans can stay connected online at www.UtahUtes.com and on social media by following @UtahMBB on Facebook, X and Instagram. Fans can also stay connected on their mobile devices or tablets with the Utah 360 app.

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