Utah
Utah’s most complete, balanced game of season leads to blowout win over Eastern Washington
Utah gave itself the perfect gift going into the Christmas break — a blowout win.
The Runnin’ Utes lived up to their moniker by rolling past two-win Eastern Washington 101-77 at the Huntsman Center on Saturday night in Utah’s largest margin of victory this season.
The Utes had big nights up and down the roster — led by Keanu Dawes, Terrence Brown and Don McHenry — in the team’s final nonconference home game.
“I think it was the best game for the 40 minutes where we kind of controlled it and stayed in control and followed the game plan,” Utah coach Alex Jensen said.
How the game transpired
The contest got off to a slow, sloppy start, as Eastern Washington held an 8-6 lead four minutes in before Utah’s first mini spurt — a 7-0 run — got the home team in front.
Things stayed relatively back and forth over the next nine minutes before Utah used a 16-4 run to go up 40-27.
That set the tone for the Utes, who outscored the Eagles 26-11 over the final 7:53 of the first half to take a dominant 50-34 lead into the break.
Utah shot 74.1% from the floor and 6 of 10 from 3 in the first half, the second hottest-shooting first half from a Big 12 team this season behind only a 75.9% effort from Iowa State against Alcorn State.
The second half was a lot of back-and-forth from both sides, with the Utes going up by as many as 20 points early in the half while Eastern Washington did enough to keep the game from turning into a blowout.
That is until around the nine-minute mark, when Utah went on a 12-3 run over the next three minutes to move ahead a then game-high 21 points.
The Utes then pulled away in the game’s final minutes for their largest margin of victory this season.
This was a team win
There were a lot of solid individual performances across the board for Utah on a night when it best executed Jensen’s mantra of “playing with the pass.”
“I think that’s been the lost art in the last little while. I think fewer and fewer players get to this level and they know how to play without the basketball,” Jensen said. “That’s the one thing that I can teach them, how to create opportunities off the basketball, because they all grew up only knowing how to score with the ball.
“I keep hitting them on play with the pass, change sides of the floor and score together, which I think they did a good job. How do I fit in to the four other guys in the court, and what are my opportunities and my role? And then it’ll happen.”
The Utes had a season-high 23 assists in the victory and owned a 22-2 edge in fast break points as they played with the most confidence and poise they’ve shown all year.
Dawes embodied that mindset, as he shot a perfect 9 of 9 from the floor, scoring a season-high 21 points while adding a team-high nine rebounds and two assists.
“I just think we were able to follow the game plan, and then…we just played with the pass,” Dawes said. “We had 23 assists to their, was it 13 assists? I think it just started from how we came out the gym ready to play, and just getting everybody involved early on in the game.”
Jensen, who’s been pushing Dawes to be more assertive, said the talented junior “made a jump tonight.”
“I think he was aggressive, and our guards helped with that. … We told them all week we were going to see a lot of press, to be aggressive, and KD (was) catching it, taking it all the way. I think that was encouraging,” Jensen said.
Brown, meanwhile, showcased his ability to see the floor. In addition to scoring 20 points, he had a season-high 11 assists as Utah shot a blistering 68.4% from the floor.
“Coach emphasizes a lot going into games (that) a lot of teams are going to be crowding the paint, doing things like that,” Brown said. “So (for me, it’s) just emphasizing me finding an open man and playing with the pass, which I was doing pretty well today.”
McHenry, the other half of the Utes’ dynamic scoring guard duo, was the hottest shooter for Utah, scoring a game-high 27 points while shooting 10 of 13 from the field and making a season-high six 3-pointers. He also had three assists.
“You know, he’s another guy, pretty much every guy I want a little bit more from, but I tell him all the time he’s one of the few seniors on the team, and he’s got to be, you know, one vocal but I think Don, he’s playing off the ball more than he has in the past, and then he does a great job of letting the game come to him and picking his spots and being patient,” Jensen said.
“He and (Brown) have really done a good job with that and and they’ve done a better job playing off each other.”
Two other Utes scored in double-figures. Freshman Kendyl Sanders continued to show why he’s earning minutes by posting 13 points, a rebound and an assist against three turnovers, while Seydou Traore helped spark Utah’s offense early and finished with 10 points, four rebounds and two assists.
A first look at a depth piece, while another sits
After a long wait, Ibi Traore made his first appearance for Utah in a regular-season game.
The last time fans in the Huntsman saw him suit up was in the preseason a year ago, but a season-ending injury sidelined him last season and he had yet to play in the 2025-26 season until Saturday.
It was a modest appearance — Traore played nine minutes, made his only field goal attempt of the night and finished with two points, a rebound and a steal.
“All the credit in the world to him to be ready. A line we always use as coaches is ‘Make me play you,’ so Ibi came in,” Jensen said.
“It’s going to be probably for two, three, four minutes, but actually, he forced us to keep him in for longer, so I’m happy for him, because it’s been a long road back from the injury, but credit to him for being ready to play.”
For the second straight game, Utah sharpshooting guard Jacob Patrick was in street clothes. His absence didn’t hurt the Utes against Eastern Washington, and it gave other guards valuable minutes.
Before his injury, Patrick had earned his first start when Traore missed a game, and Patrick has been showing plenty of promise during nonconference play.
It’s something to monitor when Utah will get Patrick back out on the court.
Christmas break, then even bigger challenges
It will be nine more days before Utah (8-4) hits the floor again, when the Utes travel to face former Pac-12 rival Washington in Seattle on Dec. 29.
That post-Christmas game will be the final tuneup for Utah before Big 12 play begins with a Jan. 3 matchup with No. 1 Arizona in the Huntsman Center.
Eastern Washington’s height gave Utah some issues in this one — the Eagles had 18 offensive rebounds to just five for Utah, though the Eagles weren’t successful in turning those extra opportunities into points. The Utes only trailed 13-10 in second-chance points.
Eastern Washington had some success scoring inside, finishing with 38 points in the paint, though Utah was better, adding 52. The road team’s top two scorers were 6-foot-9 big men — Alton Hamilton IV had 19 points and nine rebounds, while Kiree Huie added 17 points and nine rebounds.
The Huskies’ top scorer is 6-foot-11 German big man, Hannes Steinbach, who averages 17.5 points and 11.9 rebounds.
Arizona is also loaded with a powerful front court, and both of Utah’s next two opponents will be a much greater challenge inside than what Utah faced Saturday night.
There’s still one more nonconference challenge before Big 12 play starts. Saturday’s effort, though, was a step in the right direction.
“I feel like the energy for our team is a big thing for us. If one person sees the ball go in the basket, we’ve got good energy for them,” Brown said.
“It gravitates to the next person, so just us playing with high joy and a high motor just gets us better every single day, and obviously bringing it into practice. You know, it starts at practice, so that’s what we do.”
SALT LAKE CITY — The Environmental Protection Agency awarded Utah and Salt Lake County a total of $3.5 million in grants to assess potentially polluted properties for eventual cleanup and redevelopment.
The agency announced a $2 million grant to Utah’s Department of Environmental Quality and $1.5 million to Salt Lake County to conduct environmental assessments and inventory brownfield sites for cleanup. Brownfields are sites that may be difficult to redevelop or expand because of “the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant,” according to the agency.
“These brownfields grants will help Utah communities clean up contaminated sites and unlock opportunities for redevelopment and investment,” EPA Regional Administrator Cyrus Western said in a news release announcing the grants earlier this week. “By transforming underused properties into community assets, EPA is helping create healthier neighborhoods and stronger local economies.”
The two grants awarded to Utah and Salt Lake County are among more than $248 million awarded to nearly 200 communities nationwide for brownfield assessment and cleanup. Utah’s Department of Environmental Quality plans to focus the resources on several areas in Ogden, Heber City and Fillmore, among others, according to Bill Rees, who leads Utah’s brownfield cleanup program.
“What we do is work to secure the funding and then begin to reach out to our communities across the state, say, ‘Listen, there’s opportunity to do some assessment work in your community if you’re interested,’ and then work with our rural partners, work with our urban partners to see if there are sites that will fit that bill,” he told KSL.
The state has received similar grants in the past, and Rees said the money can help local governments determine what to do with ailing properties such as old schools, hospitals or private property that have gone to waste.
“Is there asbestos in it, or is there hazardous material in it? Or could there be something that’s impacting the soil or the groundwater, and a policymaker needs to make a decision?” asked Rees. “Knowledge allows you to make good decisions.”
The $1.5 million awarded to Salt Lake County is the largest brownfields assessment grant the county has ever received, according to a county press release.
“This grant is a real win for our communities,” said Mayor Jenny Wilson. “This funding will let us do vital environmental work on a larger scale and in more neighborhoods. It reflects exactly the kind of partnership between local and federal government that gets results for residents.”
The county grant funds will be used to help create cleanup plans in three areas, including a vehicle storage yard in Salt Lake City’s Ballpark Neighborhood, a 4.26-acre vacant lot in Millcreek and a small commercial building in Magna that was damaged during an earthquake in March 2020, according to the EPA.
Contributing: Don Brinkherhoff
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.
The National Weather Service in Salt Lake City issued red flag warning Friday morning as emergency workers continued to battle one of the state’s largest wildfires in its history.
The red flag warning, issued when critical fire warnings are occurring or imminent, was to be in place through midnight Saturday.
“This is the FIRST Particularly Dangerous Situation Red Flag Warning issued in NWS Salt Lake City history. This is an exceptionally rare event,” the federal agency said in its warning.
A map of the area under the warning covered much of central and southwest Utah, with an area of the southwest, central and southern mountains also outlined as “particularly dangerous red flag.”
The particularly dangerous area includes the Cottonwood Fire, near the town of Beaver, which started Monday and had grown to covering almost nearly 71,000 acres by Thursday, 15 News reported. The fire forced evacuations.
The NWS warned that gusty winds and dry conditions would lead to rapid fire growth.
Utah also was dealing with the Iron Fire, which started June 19, and nearly destroyed the town of Eureka. The fire was about 27% contained Friday morning.
The fire danger led Utah Gov. Spencer Cox to issue executive order restricting fireworks statewide during the July 4 holiday, which marks the nation’s 250th birthday this year. The ban is in effect through July 5.
“Nothing about this decision was easy,” Cox said in a statement issued by his office Thursday.
“This is unlike anything we’ve seen in recent memory. We’re seeing fires spread farther and faster under conditions that defy historical expectations” Jamie Barnes, Utah state forester and director of the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, added in the statement.
Cox allowed cities and local communities to set aside areas where fireworks could be safely used. The city of Provo announced it would enforce a citywide prohibition on fireworks and would not designate a safe area for fireworks.
“This year is different,” Provo Mayor Marsha Judkins said in a statement. “The wildfire danger facing our community is real, and protecting lives, homes, and our natural spaces must come first.”
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Earlier this month, 2News Investigates brought you a former inmate’s federal lawsuit alleging Utah Department of Corrections leaders failed to address reports of alleged sexual assault by correctional officers. Now, 2News Investigates examines another key claim in that lawsuit.
MORE: Federal lawsuit alleges Utah prison leaders covered up guards’ sexual assaults on inmates
The lawsuit alleges a mass cross-gender strip-search operation – women being viewed by men was intended to further silence female inmates.
Federal law generally prohibits cross-gender strip searches of female inmates except during emergencies or when conducted by medical personnel. UDC says that during body-search procedures, male correctional officers are not allowed in the immediate area and inmate privacy is maintained. Former inmates say that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Three former inmates agreed to speak with 2News Investigates but asked that their identities not be revealed.
“It was very traumatic.”
According to the lawsuit, on May 13, 2025, UDC carried out a large-scale operation known as a “reset” in women’s housing units at the Utah State Correctional Facility (USCF) in Salt Lake City.
Wendy: “They call it a reset. What do you call it?”
“A violation.”
“It’s like a rape.”
The lawsuit alleges UDC Deputy Warden Derick Zorn and Warden Sharon D’Amico directed the operation, along with more than a dozen members of the Critical Incident Response Team, or CIRT.
According to the plaintiffs, officers stormed dormitories, shouted profanities, and issued conflicting commands.
The women say and the lawsuit states they were ordered to pack their belongings into totes and change into state-issued uniforms in front of male CIRT officers. They were then marched to the Emerald Building for processing.
“It felt almost like we were at a concentration camp.”
The lawsuit alleges the women were required to undergo body scans and then strip completely naked. Plaintiffs claim they were ordered to lift their breasts, spread their buttocks, and cough while visible to male staff.
Women who were menstruating allegedly were instructed to remove menstrual products in full view of others.
“Just use one hand to remove it. Hold it up in front of you.”
“I felt really small and worthless.”
The lawsuit alleges some women were forced to hold soiled menstrual pads while performing physical maneuvers.
“I just did what I was told. I just wanted to get it over with.”
The plaintiffs also claim they were required to sit on toilets or squat to provide urine samples while completely naked and visible to male officers.
“It was humiliating. It was degrading.”
The lawsuit further alleges cell doors were left open, exposing naked women to other inmates and male staff.
An overhead observation booth with reflective glass overlooked the strip-search area. Plaintiffs say they observed movement inside and believed they were being watched from above.
The lawsuit alleges the female inmates were being watched from above during a mass strip search on May 13, 2025
“I could see in the overhead, the two-way mirror. There were multiple men walking around up there who had direct vision inside those cells.”
The lawsuit alleges Captain Jared Beers and Lieutenant Matthew Coombs were inside the booth and that Deputy Warden Derick Zorn observed women in various states of undress.
“I made eye contact with Officer Arroyo, and I also saw Deputy Zorn.”
“I knew if I could see the male officers, they could see me.”
One former inmate described the experience as state-sanctioned sexual violence.
“When that happens, and you’ve gone through the same kind of thing as a child, it’s very traumatic.”
The lawsuit alleges Warden D’Amico knew male officers were viewing naked female inmates and “ratified, condoned, and failed to stop it.”
An allegation in the lawsuit filed on May 15, 2026
“You’re pretty much a hostage.”
UDC Executive Director Jared Garcia declined repeated requests for an on-camera interview. A letter sent said:
“During the body search process in female living areas, male correctional officers are not allowed in the immediate area, and privacy is maintained. In general, resets are conducted routinely, according to UDC policy and under strict protocols designed to ensure safety while also preserving the privacy and dignity of incarcerated individuals.”
“The manner matters.”
Walter Mason represents the plaintiffs.
He told 2News Investigates, “The law protects inmates from being exposed to members of the opposite sex viewing their naked bodies unless there’s an emergency. Unless there’s what the law calls an exigent circumstance, the prison can take necessary actions to protect safety. There was no emergency. There was no exigency.”
UDC says the reset involved approximately 150 trained staff members and was conducted according to department policy.
UDC’s letter goes on to say:
“Every effort was made to treat belongings with care and document confiscated items appropriately. UDC stands by our methods and policies, which are intended to maintain the highest standards of integrity, safety, and efficiency during the reset process.”
Written response from the Utah Department of Corrections regarding 2News investigations
I asked UDC whether any exigent circumstances existed on May 13, 2025, during the reset operation.
The response:
“No exigent circumstances occurred on May 13, 2025.”
I also requested information about what items were confiscated. UDC said it could not provide a specific list.
Response to questions posed by 2News Investigates to UDC regarding mass strip search and if exigent circumstances existed that day
The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and accuses the defendants, all supervisors, of participating in a “coordinated effort to humiliate, mock, and psychologically degrade the plaintiffs … operating with a brazen and intentional disregard for clearly established law, fueled by an institutional custom of impunity.”
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