Ezra Ausar scores career-high 26, Utah beats BYU 73-72 in OT

SALT LAKE CITY -- — Ezra Ausar scored a career-high 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting and Hunter Erickson scored Utah's last six points on Saturday night to help the Runnin' Utes beat BYU 73-72 in overtime.

Erickson finished with nine points and Lawson Lovering scored 13 for Utah (11-6, 3-3 Big 12).

Erickson, a 92% free-throw shooter this season, hit a 3-pointer and, after Richie Saunders made a layup on the other end, made 1 of 2 foul shots to cut Utah's deficit to a point with 47 seconds left. Ausar stole the ball from Saunders on the other end before Erickson drove the lane, was fouled and made two free throws with 13.2 seconds left to cap the scoring.

Dawson Baker missed a jumper in the lane but the ball went out of bounds off Utah with 6.2 seconds to go. Trevin Knell was fouled on the inbound play but missed the front end of a 1-and-1. Keanu Dawes missed two free throws for the Utes with 5.3 seconds to go and Egor Demin missed a contested potential winning jumper as time expired.

BYU (11-6, 2-4), which beat Oklahoma State 85-69 on Tuesday, has lost four of its last five games.

Saunders and Fousseyni Traore scored 16 points apiece to lead the Cougars.

Traore's offensive rebound and putback with 8.9 seconds left in regulation made it 64-all and eventually forced overtime.

BYU is 0-4 away from home this season and is winless on the road since a 76-68 win over then-No. 7 Kansas on Feb. 27, 2024.

The Utes have won three games in a row following a string of four consecutive losses during which they were outscored 351-268, a scoring margin of minus-20.8 per game.

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