Utah
3 heroes who lifted Utah past BYU in a rivalry thriller
The 265th edition of the BYU-Utah basketball rivalry had its share of heroes from the team wearing red.
Thanks to the efforts of Ezra Ausar, Lawson Lovering and Hunter Erickson — and key contributions from other Runnin’ Utes — Utah was able to win a 73-72 thriller in overtime on Saturday night at the Huntsman Center.
It was a game where free-throw shooting ended up being a primary factor, and one where Utah’s identity it has forged during a three-game winning streak — attacking the paint — played out in its favor.
While the Utes went 17 of 32 from the free-throw line, far from the type of efficiency Utah would like to see from the line, that was much better than BYU’s 4 of 10 shooting from the charity stripe.
In a way, Ausar, Lovering and Erickson all had their own free-throw stories to tell from the Utah victory, and it was spurred by their ability to help the Utes win the battle in the paint against the Cougars.
“That’s the glass half empty,” Utah coach Craig Smith said, of the high number of free throws the team missed. “The glass half full is at least we got to the free throw line 32 times, and we made 17.
“Two weeks ago, there was no chance we’re going to make 17 free throws in a game because we wouldn’t get fouled. But we’re playing a different brand now. We’re getting to the line more, we’re attacking more. We’re just playing with way more force, and it’s big boy basketball. And that was a big boy basketball win.”
Ausar, Lovering and Erickson led that “big boy basketball” mentality against BYU.
Ezra Ausar
Ausar had easily his most impactful game as a Ute, scoring a season-high 26 points, just two of his career-high of 28 last season when he was at East Carolina.
The 6-foot-8 junior forward shot 11 of 15 from the floor, as well as 4 of 8 from the free-throw line.
He also had six rebounds, two assists and two steals.
“I love that man,” an emotional Smith said about Ausar, when asked about their postgame hug. “I don’t know what got into him, but it needs to happen all the time. He’s just a really amazing person. I’ve met a lot of people in my life. I’m not sure I met anybody exactly like Ezra, and that’s a real compliment.”
Smith relayed that Ausar has been dealing with some personal things, which includes the death of a family member, but the way he’s handled himself through it has struck a chord with the coach.
“He had a great look, and I think he’s learning how to really compete. He’s really learning how to play with force. He’s got to keep doing this,” Smith said.
After scoring two points in the first half, Ausar had 21 in the second half and three more in overtime.
He scored 12 of those points alone during a 16-4 run where Utah turned a 35-27 deficit into a 43-39 lead.
Ausar scored on a wide-open dunk in the final minute of regulation when Gabe Madsen drove then kicked to Ausar for the slam. That play gave Utah a 63-62 lead.
He rebounded a BYU miss on the next possession and was fouled, then hit 1 of 2 free throws to make it a two-point game.
The Cougars responded with a short jumper from Fousseyni Traore, forcing overtime.
Ausar then scored Utah’s first three points of the extra session.
In the final minute of overtime, with Utah trailing by one, he poked the ball away from Richie Saunders, and that led to a possession where Hunter Erickson was fouled, then hit two free throws to give the Utes the lead back.
“I’m just proud of the performance,” Ausar said. “I’m going to take it in and let it marinate, but you know (then it’s) definitely on to the next.”
It’s also an encouraging sign given the context of Utah’s two wins last week. In the Utes’ 73-65 victory over TCU on Wednesday, fellow forward Keanu Dawes scored 16 points and had two critical defensive plays in the final minute — one a block, and another a steal — as Utah held off a TCU comeback.
Lawson Lovering
The 7-foot Lovering was a physical force for Utah in the paint, setting the tone inside from the get-go.
When Utah went on a 16-4 run early in the second half, he had four points in that stretch and also proved to be a menace on the defensive end.
Lovering ended the night with 13 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three blocks.
“I just tried to focus on being me,” said Lovering, who added the team focus was “not let the moment get too big for us — be us and play rugged, physical basketball.”
It’s the latest in an impressive run of games for the senior big man, who’s been integral in each of Utah’s games during its three-game win streak.
The only negative in his game Saturday night was his free-throw shooting — Lovering was 5 of 11 as BYU employed a Hack-a-Shaq philosophy, daring him to make the Cougars pay from the free-throw line.
The idea worked more than it didn’t — that included Lovering missing two free throws in overtime, and on the year, he’s shooting 42.6% from the line.
Lovering, though, was still a handful for BYU to deal with, and he played much of the second half and overtime with four fouls without fouling out — a sign of growth from the center.
“Lawson, I thought was amazing tonight, and especially to start that second half,” Smith said. “You know, he got a quick third foul. Josh Eilert, who’s our big man coach, he’s like, ‘Coach, we gotta get Lawson out.’ And I’m like, ‘No, what? I’m not taking him out. He’s the one who’s really hooping right now.’ And then he came back in with six, seven minutes left with four fouls, and played the rest of the game and overtime.”
Hunter Erickson
Erickson, the former BYU guard whose college career has taken him from Provo to a year at Salt Lake Community College to now two seasons at Utah, came up in several clutch moments for the Utes against his former team.
“Hunter, he just has this … everybody believes in him, just the ultimate respect (from) everybody because of how hard he competes. They trust him. He always makes the right play,” Smith said.
His first points of the game came on a 3-pointer with 9:39 left in regulation, and was a direct response to a BYU 3-pointer moments earlier. That play gave Utah a 53-48 lead.
Then in overtime, Erickson was as assertive as he’s been all year.
When Utah was struggling to score in overtime as it clanked several free throws, Erickson drilled a 3-pointer with 2:08 on the clock that made it a 70-70 game. He confidently stepped back and made the shot with BYU’s Dallin Hall on defense.
On that play, Smith said the Utes were trying to run the same play they had successfully converted for the go-ahead Ausar dunk in the final minute of regulation. Things got discombobulated on offense, though, and Erickson rolled off a screen from Lovering and confidently made the 3.
That came after, according to Smith, assistant coach Lo Leath had told Erickson earlier in the game, “Hunter, you always make the right play. … You know what, tonight, the right play might be shooting it a little bit more.”
“Lawson just goes, sets the ball screen, then Hunter sticks it,” Smith said, of that critical 3-pointer. “You know, players make plays bottom line. And so he stuck with it. He’s just such a connector and he’s a real competitor, and he plays both ends of the floor. “
Then in the final minute, Erickson again was assertive, scoring the Utes’ final three points, all from the free-throw line.
First, he was fouled with 47 seconds left and Utah trailing by two.
Erickson made the first shot from the charity stripe, but with the chance to tie the game, he airballed the second attempt.
That was his first free-throw miss since mid-November — Erickson is an 87.5% free throw shooter this year, on 16 attempts.
Erickson, though, got the chance for redemption.
After Ausar forced a turnover, Utah again had possession and the chance to take the lead. Erickson again drove into the lane and was fouled.
This time, he nailed both free throws.
Erickson finished the night with nine points, two assists, one steal and a rebound while playing 23 minutes.
“It’s definitely really fun, obviously a lot of connections on both sides, and it’s just super fun playing with the energy that the fans bring for both teams,” Erickson said, of playing in the rivalry game.
What’s next
Utah will be tested again this week with a trip to No. 10 Houston on Tuesday, followed by a home matchup against No. 25 Baylor.
The Cougars narrowly avoided an upset against UCF on Saturday, while the Bears were knocked off at home by TCU on Sunday.
A side note from Baylor’s loss: TCU, which Utah beat on the road last Wednesday, rose to No. 73 in the NET NCAA rankings by beating the Bears.
The Utes’ win on the road over the Horned Frogs now qualifies, at least for the moment, as a Quad 1 win.
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food is tracking cases of New World Screwworm after the first U.S. case since 1968 was detected in Texas.
The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food described New World Screwworm as a fly. The fly’s larvae burrow into the living tissue of warm-blooded animals, causing large wounds and even death in untreated animals.
Officials said the fly was eradicated from the United States in the late 60s. However, an increase in flies in Central America in recent years led to the discovery of New World Screwworm in Mexico and has since spread into the States. The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed on Wednesday that a three-week-old calf in Texas was carrying the fly’s larvae.
According to UDAF, if New World Screwworm spreads in the United States, it could cost billions in treatment costs, production, and losses.
“It is critical for animal owners and veterinarians to be aware of the signs of NWS and to report any suspicious cases immediately to the State Veterinarian’s office,” UDAF said in a statement.
Signs include discomfort, draining or enlarging wounds, and larvae or eggs in or around body openings, such as the nose and ears. The New World Screwworm most commonly affects livestock, pets, and wildlife and, in very rare cases, people and birds.
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SANTAQUIN — A mother is accused of leaving her young child in a hot car in 2019, resulting in the toddler’s death.
Amy Kay Bethers, 29, was charged Thursday in 4th District Court with child abuse homicide, a first-degree felony.
On Aug. 13, 2019, about 5:45 p.m., Bethers brought her 6-month-old son – identified in court documents only as W.T. – to Mountain View Hospital. An obituary identifies the toddler as Wade Ron Taylor.
The boy’s “jaw was locked tight in the onset of rigor mortis, he was warm to the touch, he had sloughing of the skin on his scalp, face, ear and chest, his skin was discolored and mottled, and (his) eyes were open with dryness over the cornea and fixated pupils,” according to charging documents. The toddler’s body temperature was recorded at 109.8 degrees Fahrenheit and he was pronounced deceased about 6:15 p.m.
Doctors “believed that W.T.’s death was probably related to being in a hot environment for too long,” the charges state.
Bethers told police she was driving with her child to a storage unit in Santaquin “when she noticed W.T. was not as ‘wiggly and chattery’ as usual, so she ‘rolled down the windows some more’ and turned around to go home,” according to the charges.
Bethers told police she noticed he was “getting discolored” and his lips turning purple, “and he started ‘getting stiff’ and drooling,” the charges state.
She told investigators that she had been driving for two to three hours and her vehicle did not have air conditioning. Temperatures that day reached about 93 degrees Fahrenheit.
W.T.’s “immediate cause of death was hyperthermia,” but the manner “‘could not be determined’ because her findings from the autopsy were not consistent with Bether’s accounting of events,” according to the charges.
A doctor later concluded “that under conditions where both windows were up and the vehicle was traveling 25 mph, W.T.’s temperature could reach 109.8 degrees in 50-70 minutes; under conditions where both windows were up and the vehicle was traveling 45 mph, W.T.’s temperature could reach 109.8 degrees in 70-150 minutes; under conditions where both windows were up and the vehicle was traveling 65 mph, there would be little to no change in W.T.’s temperature during anytime of the day. (The doctor) concluded that under conditions where the vehicle was parked in the sun and both windows were closed, W.T.’s temperature could reach 109.8 degrees in 40-50 minutes; under conditions where the vehicle was parked in the shade and both windows were closed, there would be no change in W.T.’s temperature,” the charges state.
Court documents do not explain why it took several years to follow up on the charges.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Department of Public Safety is urging people to make sure items are safely secured to vehicles while traveling on Utah roads. Saturday marks the 10th annual National Secure Your Load Day, and DPS is using the occasion to remind motorists that securing cargo isn’t just the law — it saves lives.
So far this year, there have been over 130 debris-related crashes in Utah, which are dangerous for other drivers and troopers who have to retrieve that debris.
“Statewide, on average about 70 times a day, highway patrol gets called to respond to debris in the roadways, so that adds up to over 25,000 times per year that we’re having to respond to get items pulled out of the roadway that people have not secured,” said UHP Lt. Zach Randall.
Unsecured loads are a persistent hazard on Utah’s roads, contributing to more than 700 preventable crashes and traffic disruptions each year. While incidents have dropped 12% over the past five years, DPS said the risk remains high and urges drivers to take “full responsibility for their cargo” before hitting the road.
Over the last five years, 17 fatalities have been caused by debris-related crashes.
Debris hazards can also cause serious injuries or deaths when striking vehicles, cyclists, or pedestrians, with DPS noting that such obstacles are often difficult to avoid safely, leading to sudden braking, swerving, and collisions.
Clearing debris can also slow traffic to a crawl. Interstate traffic is often halted entirely so crews can remove dangerous items from the roadway, adding delays and frustration for drivers.
Utah law carries fines between $200-1,000 for unsecured loads, and in severe cases, offenders can face penalties up to a Class A misdemeanor. Officials emphasize that a few minutes spent checking and securing cargo can prevent tragedy — and costly legal consequences.
Randall explained how it is important to use bungee cables, racket straps and rope to secure items to your car.
“We have a blanket that you could wrap over and then a bungee or tie-down strap over top of that,” he said. “So with some loose items like wood, we tied them together so they’re not bouncing around the truck, being able to bounce out. You can use something like a plastic wrap or a cellophane wrap to tie those together so that they’re in one unit.”
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