It was the same story just a different night for Utah.
The Runnin' Utes were dominated by the No. 3 Cyclones 82-59 on Tuesday in Ames, Iowa, putting them in a 0-3 hole to start Big 12 play.
Utah, once again, struggled to shoot the ball, finishing with a 36.1% from the field and a 24.1% mark from 3-point range. Iowa State also scored 25 points on Utah’s 18 turnovers.
“I thought we did some good things tonight,” Utah head coach Craig Smith said after the loss. “Halfcourt defense, obviously, was the difference in the game. Our No. 1 key coming in was to take care of the ball.
“When your offense is their best offense, and you give up 25 points off of your turnovers that’s really difficult to overcome.”
Senior guard Gabe Madsen recovered from his scoring slump after he finished with a team-high 20 points on 7-for-19 shooting.
Led by Madsen, Utah showed signs of life in the first half after it took a 22-17 lead over the Cyclones. But from that point on, the Runnin' Utes were unable to match ISU’s physicality.
ISU finished the period on a 17-1 run and held a 38-25 lead by halftime. The Cyclones also outscored the Utes 44-34 in the second half.
While there were signs of life for Smith’s unit, the Utes still played like a team searching for an identity.
“I think we need consistency, to work on not changing who we are,” sophomore forward Jake Wahlin said. “We have to remain aggressive and attack, and that’s when we play at our best.”
The Runnin' Utes will have to turn the page for a home bout against Oklahoma State at 5 p.m. on Saturday in Salt Lake City.
The Cowboys are coming off a 13-point victory over Kansas State, which put them at 1-2 in conference play.
“We have to be tougher,” Smith said. “We have to have more poise and composure. ... We’ll learn from it. This game is going to get us better.”
