Utah Holds On For Valuable Win Over Ole Miss

SALT LAKE CITY— Down one after a rough loss the night before, Utah came into the consolation game of the Acrisure Classic needing a statement, and grinded out a gutty 75–74 win over Ole Miss.

Instead of folding— the Utes performance might was their most complete of the season yet. Utah converted 10-of-19 from 3-point territory and 15-of-20 from the free throw line.

Don McHenry led the way with 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including a blister 5-of-6 from 3-point range.

FINAL from @AcrisureArena! pic.twitter.com/SeL3r8XKhN

— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) November 27, 2025

First Half — Utah sets the tone against Ole Miss

From the opening possession, Utah carried a different energy than what we saw against Grand Canyon Antelopes. Ball movement was sharper, decision-making cleaner, and the pace more controlled.

Guard Don McHenry spearheaded the attack, hitting several threes — including one at the 7:24 mark (to push the lead to 22–19) — and punctuating the half with a third triple to give Utah breathing room at 34–27.

As the first half closed, Utah didn’t just hang on; they slightly outscored Ole Miss 8–7 over the final minutes before the break, leaving the Rebels with questions about how to slow this Ute rhythm.

By halftime, the Utes went into the locker room up 42–34.

Second Half — Lead grows, nerves tighten, finish scrambles

Coming out of the locker room, Utah rode their momentum. A 12–2 run early in the half — powered by threes from McHenry and Terrence Brown — ballooned the lead to 56–42.

For a moment, it looked like Utah might cruise. But Ole Miss wasn’t done. After the they cut the lead to 62-56, Jacob Patrick knocked down a timely corner 3-pointer at the end of the shot clock to push the lead back to nine.

Jake beats the BUZZER to extend our lead‼️#GoUtes | @AcrisureSeries pic.twitter.com/pnFYneyrjE

— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) November 27, 2025

The Rebels chipped away bit by bit, putting together a 13–2 run and by 3:38 mark left in the half, they had pulled in front 69–67. It seemed Utah let their chance at a win slip away.

Just when it seemed like Utah’s composure might crack, McHenry buried a three-pointer with 1:12 remaining to retake the lead at 73–72.

But Ole Miss answered with a hook shot from Ilias Kamardine with :57 seconds left. Utah’s next possession ended in a blocked layup from Brown.

But when it mattered most, Utah got the defensive stop, which was not something they’ve been able to do.

On Ole Miss’s second to last trip, their contested 3-point try came up well short and Utah secured the rebound. After a couple of timeouts, Utah inbounded to Brown with :09 left in the game. He raced down the floor, splitting two defenders and was fouled on the gather for a layup with 4.4 seconds left.

.@terrencetbrown comes in CLUTCH from the line to secure the WIN😤#GoUtes | @AcrisureSerie pic.twitter.com/gfS5cqZKWm

— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) November 27, 2025

Brown calmly stepped to the line and knocked down both free throws to give the Utes a 75–74 advantage. Ole Miss inbounded the ball and Utah’s pressure did not allow a final attempt before the buzzer and the Utes held on to the win.

Key Sequence — The moment the game tipped Utah’s way

• 56–42, early 2nd half: After Ole Miss trimmed Utah’s lead to 42-38, Utah would enjoy a 14–4 surge — featuring threes from McHenry and Brown — and ultimately pushed the margin to 14. Then, for about five minutes, Utah looked poised to run away with it but that next run didn’t happen. Ole Miss battled back but this run built a buffer.

• Final 1:12 — cold-blooded execution under fire: Down to one and a late Ole Miss surge in full swing, Utah needed a play. McHenry’s 3-pointer to go up 73–72 was vital. Ole Miss scored and regained the lead and Utah’s response was denied at the rim. So, when Utah needed a defensive stop the most, they stepped up and forced a contested 3-pointer at the end of the shot clock. That’s the sort of clutch defensive effort Utah’s going to need a lot of this season.

Stat line & closing thoughts

• McHenry dropped a season-high 27 points, efficiently: 10-of-15 from the floor, with five 3-pointers. His experience is pretty meaningful to this squad. He’s a veteran and seemed unfazed by the moment.

• Utah shot a solid 47.2% overall, and 52.6% from three on 10-of-19. Their free-throw line wasn’t perfect but decent: 15-of-20. One of the bigger question marks coming into the season was Utah’s shooting, and this performance was a strong one.

• The Utes improved to 6–2 on the year, ending the skid from the Grand Canyon loss in the prior game. To add an SEC non-conference win to the resume is rather valuable but more importantly, this is the sort of win that Jensen needs to build on.

This wasn’t a perfect game— the Utes flirted with disaster down the stretch, but they also did some really good things throughout the game. For a team still building a standard and looking for consistency, this is a big step in the right direction.

Steve Bartle is the Utah insider for KSL Sports. He hosts The Utah Blockcast (SUBSCRIBE) and appears on KSL Sports Zone to break down the Utes. You can follow him on X for the latest Utah updates and game analysis.

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