Gabe Madsen led the Utah Utes with a significant milestone in the 98-63 victory over Central Arkansas. This performance marked not only the Utes’ 1,900th program win but also saw Madsen becoming the newest member of Utah’s prestigious 1,000-point club. His shooting, alongside his brother Mason Madsen, powered Utah to an impressive display of long-range accuracy, setting an exciting tone for the season as the Utes prepare for challenging Big 12 competition.

The game started slowly, with Utah managing just eight points in the first five minutes. However, they quickly found their rhythm with an 11-3 run that included a burst of 3-point shooting. Their momentum continued, with the Madsen brothers combining for 11 three-pointers in the game. Gabe alone nailed six 3-pointers in his second game after transferring from Cincinnati

The Utes’ defensive efforts were equally commendable in the first half, holding Central Arkansas to a mere 18 points on 22.6% shooting. They forced nine turnovers and dominated the boards, addressing earlier rebounding struggles and going into halftime with a +10 advantage in that category. Utah also displayed strong teamwork, tallying 12 assists on 15 field goals, heading into the break with a 45-18 lead.

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Utah’s energy continued in the second half, where they produced a 19-2 run, fueled by five 3-point makes, stretching their lead to 69-28. Their shooting efficiency held steady, finishing at 19-of-50 from three-point range and over 55% from the field overall.

Utes guard Mike Sharavjamts also shined, contributing 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists. His playmaking ability, highlighted by a series of no-look passes, kept the crowd engaged, though his shooting efficiency could improve.

With a high-energy, well-rounded game on both ends, the Utes are looking poised for an exciting season. They return to action against Queens on Nov. 12.

Utah — The Utah ski industry isn’t usually the first in North America to open. However, two Utah ski resorts are already open in early November.

Solitude Mountain Resort was the first to open in Utah, as their season kicked off at 9 a.m. local time. Solitude Mountain has opened up the Link chairlift for skiing and riding. Easy Street will be the only trail open off the chairlift. Solitude parks crew has also been busy, adding 7-8 features on the trail. Solitude will be open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday this weekend, with lift tickets costing only $25. Solitude will then close back down to continue working on their early season snowmaking efforts.

However, Solitude wasn’t the only ski resort that open today. At 10 a.m. local time, Brian Head Resort opened up for the season. They’ve opened up the Paradise Strip, Freemont, and Easy Time trails, which are serviced by the Navajo Expres chairlift. This is Brian Head’s second-earliest opening, with the earliest ever being November 4, 2022. Brian Head plans to remain open daily until May 4th.

Brighton is likely the next ski resort to open. Yesterday, the Utah ski resort announced that they’re opening next Thursday, November 14th. The Majestic and Explorer chairlifts will be spinning, and snowmaking has commeneced on the terrain around Crest 6 to get that part of the mountain operational soon.

It’s a good start so far for Utah, but let’s hope they keep getting snow so they can get the steeper terrain open.

Image/Video Credits: Brian Head Resort, Solitude Mountain Resort, Brighton Resort (@flanellifestyles)

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Associated Press

Utah Jazz (1-7, 15th in the Western Conference) vs. San Antonio Spurs (4-5, 12th in the Western Conference)

San Antonio; Saturday, 5 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Western Conference foes San Antonio and Utah will play on Saturday.

San Antonio finished 22-60 overall, 14-37 in Western Conference play and 12-29 at home during the 2023-24 season. The Spurs averaged 112.1 points per game last season, 51.4 in the paint, 15.4 off of turnovers and 15.6 on fast breaks.

Utah went 31-51 overall and 16-36 in Western Conference play during the 2023-24 season. The Jazz averaged 115.7 points per game last season, 18.8 from the free-throw line and 38.7 from deep.

INJURIES: Spurs: Devin Vassell: out (foot), Tre Jones: out (ankle), Jeremy Sochan: out (thumb).

Jazz: Taylor Hendricks: out for season (fibula).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.