Just eight days after blowing a 12-point lead with six minutes left, head coach Bobby Hurley almost faced a similar fate in Salt Lake City.

His team led by as much as 18 in the first half and took a 41-25 lead heading into the break. However, like many games he has coached over the past couple of years, the game became tight late.

Despite the lead being cut to four late in the game, the Arizona State Sun Devils (12-11, 3-7) held on for a 71-63 win at the Jon M. Huntsman Center on Feb. 4, 2026, against the Utah Runnin’ Utes (9-13, 1-8). The Sun Devils used a balanced attack, with three players scoring 10-plus points and two just shy of the double-digit mark with nine points.

ASU found itself shorthanded tonight, with sophomore forward Santiago Trouet missing his first game of the season due to an ankle injury. Graduate forward Allen Mukeba was dealing with migraines, but was able to play.

The first half was one of ASU's best shooting performances of the season. The Sun Devils shot 51.6% from the field, and 16 of their 41 points came off the bench, while Utah had zero points from its non-starters.

But in what’s been the same movie that’s been played on repeat since league play began, ASU struggled to find consistency in the second half, shooting 6-of-26 from the field and 1-of-9 from beyond the arc.

Senior forward Anthony “Pig” Johnson led the team in scoring in the first half with 11 points. But in the second half, Johnson scored three points, all coming from the free-throw line. 

Freshman center Massamba Diop led the team in scoring with 15 points, but had one of his worst games as a Sun Devil on offense. He made three of 11 shots attempted and missed all seven shots he took in the final 20 minutes, but shot 8-of-8 at the stripe.

For the Utes, most of the offensive production came from fifth-year guard Don McHenry, who put up 23 points. Meanwhile, junior forward Seydou Traore had 16.

But Utah's offensive production outside of McHenry and Traore was hard to find. Junior guard Terrence Brown shot 2-of-16 from the field, making his first shot with 5:06 left in the contest.

The Utes had the exact opposite game shooting compared to ASU, as they shot 33.3% from the field in the first 20 minutes but were more successful in the second half, with 43.8% of their shots falling through.

The biggest struggle for the Sun Devils was their inability to make baskets from beyond the arc.

In the first 8:08 of game time, ASU caught fire from long range, converting five of their first six shots from distance. The Sun Devils went 0-for-14 the rest of the game, finishing the night shooting 5-of-20 from outside.

The game felt similar to many ASU games this season, where it got out to an early lead but by the second half, the sky began to fall. Whether it’s missing shots or giving up easy looks, coach Hurley has struggled with halftime adjustments.

Most games like this over the past couple of years have resulted in a loss for the Sun Devils, but tonight they were able to survive a comeback attempt from a team that’s at the bottom of the Big 12 standings, tied with Kansas State.

Barring a miraculous run to the NCAA Tournament, Hurley is likely in his final few months with ASU. Despite that, the Sun Devils are still showing fight and are hoping to at least build progress for next season.

ASU will continue its trip against current conference opponents but former Pac-12 teams, visiting Boulder, Colorado, to play the Buffaloes on Saturday, Feb. 7. The Sun Devils lost to Colorado on Jan. 3 to begin Big 12 play and will be looking for revenge at the CU Events Center.

The Utes had a three-game winning streak against the Sun Devils before the game began, but it has now been snapped. The road doesn’t get any easier as they travel to Allen Fieldhouse to play one of the hottest teams in the nation in No. 11 Kansas on Saturday, Feb. 7.