The Utah men's basketball team battled back from a 17-point deficit to defeat Long Beach State 66-63 Monday night inside the Jon. M. Huntsman Center to open the 2026-27 season.
This comeback tied for the fourth largest since the 2013-14 season for the program.
Long Beach State opened the game strongly, scoring the first five points before an Alec Anigbata dunk sparked a 10-0 run for Utah. Despite the early momentum, the Beach extended their lead to 35-23 with 3:39 remaining in the first half. Utah responded with a 5-0 spurt to cut the deficit to 35-28 before Long Beach State scored five consecutive points to lead 40-28 at halftime.
Utah ignited a 10-0 run in the second half to cut the deficit to 47-40. Following a period where Jaxson Johnson recorded his first collegiate triple, the Utes mounted a 12-0 run to take a 60-56 lead with 6:29 remaining. After Long Beach State narrowed the lead to 60-59, Trey Campbell hit two free throws and TJ Burch converted a fast-break layup to create a 64-59 cushion.
Jackson Holcombe secured the win with a second-chance layup with 1:02 remaining, pushing the lead to 66-62. Utah eventually held on to secure the 66-63 victory.
Trey Campbell led the Utes with 20 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals. Jackson Holcombe contributed 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks, while Alec Anigbata finished with 10 points. Malek Gomma added 7 points and 11 rebounds, and Zati Loubaki provided 8 points off the bench.
Utah finished the game shooting 51 percent from the floor, making 26 of 51 attempts. The team also held a 40-18 advantage over Long Beach State in the paint and outscored the Beach 22-12 in fast-break points. Additionally, Utah outscored Long Beach State 38-33 in the second half.
The victory brings Utah to a 93-26 all-time record in home-openers and 84-13 when those home-openers are also season-openers. Head coach Alex Jensen is now 2-0 in season-openers since taking over the program last season.
Notable individual milestones included Babacar Faye returning to play for the first time since December 14, 2024, due to injury, and Zati Loubaki recording his first Division 1 basket on a driving layup.
The Utah homestand continues when they welcome the Towson Tigers for a match-up inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. (MT). The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Chris Sylvester providing the call and former Runnin' Utes assistant coach Joe Cravens serving as the analyst.
