What Alex Jensen said after Utah snapped losing streak with win over TCU

Runnin' Utes got past the Horned Frogs in thriller from the Huntsman Center

Utah Runnin' Utes head coach Alex Jensen looks on during the first half of the game against the TCU Horned Frogs at Jon M. Huntsman Center. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The Utah men's basketball team earned its first Big 12 win of the season Saturday with an 82-79 victory over TCU at Jon M. Huntsman Center.

Terrence Brown led the way with 26 points, propelling the Runnin' Utes (9-9, 1-4 Big 12) from start to finish for their first win since Dec. 20.

Brown's backcourt mate, Don McHenry, stepped up in crunch time to help fend off the Horned Frogs (11-7, 1-4 Big 12) down the stretch, knocking down key free throws as part of a 12-point outing. Keanu Dawes chipped in 10 points and snagged 14 rebounds, helping Utah win the battle on the glass, 40-31.

David Punch led TCU with 22 points, 18 of which came in the second half.

A 14-0 start helped get the Runnin' Utes on the right track from the opening tip, though they needed a full 40 minutes to put the Horned Frogs away for good and snap their five-game losing streak in the process.

TCU took advantage of a dry spell from Utah's offense to trim its early double-digit deficit to six midway through the first half, then delivered another response after a couple of 3-pointers from the Runnin' Utes pushed their advantage back to 14 with just under 6 minutes to play before intermission.

Brown sent Utah into the locker room with a 38-30 advantage on the scoreboard with a dunk to end the first half. That created a bit of separation for the Runnin' Utes after an 11-4 spurt from the Horned Frogs made it a 5-point game.

TCU amped up its defensive intensity with an effective ball screen trap, creating havoc for Utah's offense any time the Runnin' Utes tried to get the ball into the painted area. The added pressure played a role in Utah committing nine second-half turnovers, which helped TCU stay within striking distance.

The Runnin' Utes made up for their miscues with some hot shooting from behind the arc and stellar play down the stretch from Brown, who scored or assisted on 15 straight points after the Horned Frogs made it a 3-point game with 13 minutes left in regulation.

Brown's takeover helped Utah double its lead by the 6-minute mark, but TCU didn't go away easily. With Punch leading the charge, the Horned Frogs got within two points several times over the final 4 minutes, as they took advantage of being in the double bonus with 16 free throws in the second half.

Leading 71-67, Don McHenry jumped an errant pass on the wing and finished in transition with a layup, extending Utah's lead to six. The 6-foot-2 guard was fouled on a 3-point attempt on the ensuing possession and made all three of his foul shots, making it a 76-68 game with 2 minutes left.

Utah was 13-of-22 from the foul line overall but managed to capitalize at the charity stripe in key moments, making six free throws over the final minute of regulation to hang on for a 3-point win.

With the win, Utah earned its first Big 12 win since knocking off Arizona State, 99-73, on March 1.

Here's what Jensen had to say in his postgame press conference.

On the team's progression over the past few weeks

"Continuity's always been underrated, I think at any level. I go to [Brown] and Don because teams are going to focus on [them]. I know TB set a great screen in the first half that got us a score; it's not going to show up in the box score, but it's just being patient and using each other, not doing it yourself with the dribble."

"The 17 assists were great ... everybody had an assist tonight. So, credit to them for using each other and playing together to score and win. I think that's getting better with time."

On the team's defensive effort

"TCU is a different type of team than BYU, Colorado or Arizona, and I give our guys credit because we had two days to prepare. It was a different type of scheme, so we were mostly focused on that, but that was what I think led to the defense. So, I give them credit because I think they made that a priority; sometimes that slips and we try to do much."

On getting the first Big 12 win of the season

"I don't talk about it like it's a winning streak or a losing streak, but we're all very aware of it even if we don't talk about it. That's been the thing I've told our guys: you are good enough. I told them tonight: if we make our free throws and cut the turnovers in the second half in half, then you got to believe as well. But you got to play together."

"So yeah, winning is always a confidence builder."