Utah ended its week with an 0-2 record against two of the most athletic teams it will face in the Big 12, as visiting Baylor came into the Huntsman Center and handed the Runnin’ Utes a 76-61 loss Saturday afternoon.

While Utah started the game strong and put forth a competitive effort through good portions of the contest, a particularly long drought in the first half was too much to overcome.

3 takeaways

Utah went nearly 10 minutes without a field goal. The Utes went as cold as they have all season — yes, worse than Wednesday’s loss to Houston — during a first-half stretch that saw them go from up seven to down by as many as 16 in the opening 20 minutes.

After the Utes led 11-4 on a Lawson Lovering layup with 16:35 in the first half, the Bears outscored Utah 30-7 over the next 11 minutes.

There was also a nearly 10-minute stretch wherein the Utes missed 13 straight field goals. Zach Keller’s made 3 with 13:10 in the half marked Utah’s last made field goal before 13 straight misses that was mercifully ended by a Miro Little 3 with 3:27 until halftime.

Utah ended up shooting 35.7% in the first half and 40% for the game

While the Utes were able to get nice games from Ezra Ausar (19 points, seven rebounds) and Little (12 points, eight rebounds, seven assists), they couldn’t come back from that early deficit.

VJ Edgecombe shows why he’s a projected lottery pick. True freshman wing VJ Edgecombe gave the visiting Bears a spark, particularly during that decisive first half.

He scored 14 points during the opening 20 minutes while shooting 5 of 10 from the field, and that helped Baylor take a 38-31 edge into halftime.

Utah struggled to contain Edgecombe, as he ended the game with 21 points, six rebounds and three assists.

Big man Norchad Omier was also a matchup nightmare for Utah — he had a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds.

As a team, Baylor outshot the Utes, hitting 43.9% from the floor.

Baylor’s second-chance points and offensive rebounds were key. The Bears helped keep the Utah offense out of rhythm by extending possessions.

While the numbers don’t paint a sizable edge for Baylor in both offensive rebounds and second-chance points, the Bears benefitted from some timely contributions in both that kept them from letting Utah seriously challenge.

Baylor ended up with 15 offensive rebounds to 14 for Utah, and the Bears turned that into an 18-12 advantage in second-chance points.

What’s next

Utah (11-8, 3-5 Big 12) will stay at home for a matchup next Tuesday against Cincinnati. The game will tip at 8 p.m. MST and be televised on CBS Sports Network.

The Bearcats (12-6, 2-5 Big 12) play at BYU later Saturday.