Utah couldn’t get enough defensive stops Saturday night against No. 9 BYU in the latest rivalry matchup at the Huntsman Center.

The Runnin’ Utes, though, made the Cougars work for the victory, even as a heavy underdog.

There are no moral victories in this bitter rivalry, but if Utah can show progress moving forward from BYU’s harder-than-expected 89-84 victory, this kind of effort won’t go in vain.

“I think it was, there was a lot of little things, a lot of game plan things, little details that I don’t know if we just forgot or didn’t pay attention to,” Utah first-year coach Alex Jensen said about what cost Utah against the Cougars.

“Down the stretch, we’ve talked about it for a while because we’re going to give up size to other teams, but giving up the offensive (boards), it’s hard to get a stop and then they get the offensive rebounds. It’s a hard thing to come back from, especially the last few minutes.”

Jensen lamented his team’s defensive effort against the Cougars multiple times in the postgame press conference — BYU was able to shoot 50% in the game, and the Cougars held a 41-33 rebounding edge.

Senior Richie Saunders, who had never beaten Utah in the Huntsman Center until Saturday, was especially destructive on the boards. He had 14, including six on the offensive end, and helped BYU have a 16-10 edge in offensive boards and 19-14 in second-chance points.

“It’s hard to give up 89 points and win, right?” Jensen said. “And if you look at all the good teams in college that win, (they) are the other teams that defend and rebound.”

Utah has made giving BYU headaches in the Huntsman a routine thing. Even though the Cougars are the program on the ascent, the Utes still won their last two games in the series played at the storied venue.

Utah even pumped some belief into the packed house multiple times over the course of the game that it could stun BYU again.

The Utes got out to a 7-0 start in the game, then matched BYU punch for punch in the first half before going into the break down two after a questionable foul call resulted in two free throws from AJ Dybantsa just before the half.

Though BYU eventually built a 13-point lead in the second half, the Utes fought back again and made it a one-possession game multiple times down the stretch.

That included cutting it to 81-80 on two Terrence Brown free throws with 3:15 to play.

Then, the Utes had a defensive stop in the final minute down three, but a costly turnover — just Utah’s ninth of the night — gave BYU the ball back with eight seconds remaining.

Two Saunders free throws followed that turnover from Brown, and with that, the Utes’ fight came up short.

Brown and Don McHenry showed up well in their introduction to the rivalry, as the dynamic scoring guards accounted for more than half of Utah’s points.

Brown had a game-high 25 points to go with five assists, three rebounds and two blocked shots, while McHenry had 21 points, two assists, two rebounds and a steal.

“Coach was just just saying you should be excited to play in a game like this,” Brown said. “… It was just a good opportunity, and it was definitely exciting.”

Fifth-year forward James Okonkwo provided a spark in front of a raucous crowd, to the tune of 13 rebounds, four points and two assists.

“James has been great the last two games. It’s great because it leads us with a physicality and just his presence, and that’s kind of what we want from him as a fifth-year senior,” Jensen said.

“The last two games, he’s been great and hopefully we get that, that same James going forward.”

Speaking of the crowd, the Utes noticed just how much a packed house for the first time this season — call it the annual rivalry effect — brought an energy to an arena that is often far too quiet as Utah tries to rebuild a once-proud program.

“I think the MUSS did a really good job of, like energizing us. It was a different level of energy in the game today, and it was really encouraging,” Okonkwo said.

“We went out on a really good run to start the game, and you could just feel it. We were locked in and it was really fun.”

It wasn’t enough to best BYU’s Big 3. Dybantsa, the projected lottery pick, had 20 points, six rebounds and four assists, Saunders tossed in 24 points and grabbed 14 rebounds (six offensive), while Rob Wright III added 23 points and six assists.

Can Utah learn from this game and take some lessons into the rest of Big 12 play?

Yes, the Utes are likely to lose the majority of their games the remainder of the season — they are the worst-ranked Big 12 team in the NET and KenPom, by a sizable margin — but Utah also showed that it’s progressing, even if incrementally.

“Honestly, like we have enough — we’re going to be so good when we clean up just a little mistakes,“ Okonkwo said. ”Honestly, that’s my opinion.

“That’s what (coach) was kind of harping on about in the locker room, just staying consistent. Just get better every day.”

DUBAI, Jan 11 (Reuters) – Iran warned President Donald Trump on Sunday that any U.S. attack would lead to Tehran striking back against Israel and regional U.S. military bases as “legitimate targets”, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf told parliament.

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JACKSON, Wyo. — The Wyoming Game and Fish Department recently announced that, after nearly 40 years of service, South Jackson Wildlife Biologist Gary Fralick is retiring.

A release from the game and fish department states that Fralick began his career in 1986 as a biologist with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, after serving in the Air Force and earning a degree in wildlife biology from the University of Montana.

Before working with the game and fish department, Fralick held a number of biologist positions with the U.S. Forest Service, Montana Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and the Bureau of Land Management.

He started with the game and fish department as a biologist aide in the Green River region, and would later become a project biologist in Cheyenne. In 1990, Fralick moved to Buffalo to serve as the district’s wildlife biologist. Three years later, in 1993, he moved into his long-term position as the South Jackson wildlife biologist.

“My career has been filled with adventure, accomplishments, goodwill, and above all, an invincible curiosity,” Fralick said. “It has been an immense pleasure and privilege being an integral part of this agency and serving the people of Wyoming, and one that I continually marvel at to this day.”

In his role as the South Jackson wildlife biologist, Fralick was instrumental in research and management of wildlife in the district. He was highly regarded for his management of the Wyoming Range Mule Deer Herd, one of North America’s most iconic mule deer herds. The release notes that he played a vital role in developing the Wyoming Range Mule Deer Initiative, and he started the largest research project ever conducted on mule deer in Wyoming.

He also spearheaded unprecedented mountain goat research in the Snake River Range, as well as moose research in the Hoback River Basin.

“Having worked with Gary for over 30 years, I can truly attest that he captures the essence of a field biologist,” said Brad Hovinga, Game and Fish wildlife supervisor in the Jackson Region. “Gary dedicated himself to knowing the habitat, the wildlife, and the people in his biologist district, and has an incredible grasp on wildlife management issues in the Wyoming Range. Those who worked with Gary are better managers because of his willingness to share his knowledge.”

Additionally, Fralick made extensive efforts in public outreach, most notably through the Greys River check station, which he operated every fall since 1993. At the check station, Fralick collected an impressive dataset, resulting in a historical photo record chronicling three decades of hunter-harvested mule deer antler characteristics from the Wyoming Range Herd.

Another significant highlight from Fralick’s career was his involvement on a committee of wildlife biologists from 1989-1990, which documented the history and current status of private ownership of native and exotic wildlife across each state and province in North America. The committee’s findings would lead the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission to make a landmark decision in 1990, which prohibited the private ownership of big and trophy game animals in Wyoming, as well as the importation of exotic or nonnative wildlife into the state. This precedent remains in effect today.

Fralick also received numerous job honors, including the Wildlife Society’s Wildlife Professional of the Year recognition as Game and Fish’s Wildlife Division Employee of the Year in 2015.

“Gary’s dedication to rigorous data collection and his innovative, hands-on approach to public engagement made him a trusted expert and an invaluable asset to the department and the public,” said Cheyenne Stewart, Game and Fish wildlife management coordinator in the Jackson Region. “He leaves a lasting legacy, giving the department a strong foundation to carry his work forward.”

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