Utah’s third Big 12 Conference game ended like its first two — with a loss. The Runnin’ Utes showed brief, better stretches of competitiveness against No. 3 Iowa State at Hilton Coliseum on Tuesday night, but it still resulted in a 82-59 defeat as the Cyclones wore Utah down. It’s the fourth straight loss for the Utes overall.

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After the Utes were blown out in their first two conference games, Craig Smith emphasized his team’s need to keep fighting.

In those two matchups, Utah shot a combined 36% from the field, highlighting their offensive woes. Facing Iowa State, a team that leads the Big 12 in scoring at 86.6 points per game (11th in the nation),