It took a grind-it-out effort for Utah basketball to beat Long Beach State in its season opener

There was more frustration than elation after the University of Utah opened its 2026-27 men's basketball season with a 66-63 win over Long Beach State on Monday night.

The Runnin' Utes found themselves down 17 points early in the second half at the Huntsman Center before their energy and effort picked up, and Utah handed its Big West Conference opponent a close loss by using runs of 10-0 and 15-2 to finally gain control late.

The Beach had a chance to force overtime after Malek Gomma missed two free throws with 21 seconds to play that would have given Utah a two-possession lead, but the Ute defense forced a long 3-point attempt from Utah native McCaden Adams on the final possession that missed the mark and Trey Campbell corralled the rebound to finally end the threat.

It was that kind of night for the exasperated Utes.

"I think it was disappointing in a lot of respects for me because I think we took a step back. I think we took two steps back and maybe one step forward tonight," Utah coach Alex Jensen said.

"We had three good exhibition games, but (we) can't make the same mistakes over and over again individually or collectively and put ourselves in a hole."

The Utes' coach was also complimentary of a Long Beach State team that came in as decided underdogs.

"I'll give Long Beach State credit. They came out. I mean, they played harder than us," he said. "They were ready to go from the beginning and had a good game plan and did a great job.

"We were fortunate enough to pull it off at the end, but give them all the credit in the world."

There's plenty to improve upon from a game wherein the Utes needed to complete the third-largest comeback for the program since 2014-15 to move to 1-0 on the young season.

"He just told us to wake up," Campbell said of what Jensen's halftime message was to his team. "I mean, it looked like we were slow out there. It looked like we didn't want to be out there, and that's what it felt like, too. He got on us as he should and told us to wake up, and we did."

Turnovers were a problem for the Utes. Despite Utah shooting 50% from the field in the first half, the Utes trailed 40-28 at the break.

They were undercut by 10 turnovers, as the Beach held an 18-5 advantage in points off turnovers over the first 20 minutes.

By game's end, things had settled a bit for Utah in that regard, but the Utes still had 15 total turnovers to 10 for Long Beach State and the visitors held a 20-14 edge in points off turnovers for the game, a big reason why the game was so close.

"We stress not having 10 turnovers in a game, so, I mean, taking care of the ball, hustling, this just wasn't our brand of basketball," Utah guard Jackson Holcombe said. "And I mean, we're very grateful — you know, an ugly win is better than a pretty loss, but we got a lot we got to get better at."

The Beach bested Utah at the 3-point line, but Utah manufactured more points. One reason for Long Beach State's double-digit halftime lead was that the Beach made 6 of 13 3-pointers in the first half, while Utah was just 2 of 10 from outside — and both of the Utes' makes came from Campbell.

Adams, who prepped at Pleasant Grove High and starred at Snow College after a redshirt year at Utah Valley, led that effort for the Beach, making four 3-pointers and scoring a game-high 21 points.

Utah hit double-digit 3s in two of its exhibition games — both wins — but they didn't come close to approaching that Monday night.

The Utes ended up making 5 of 17 from 3-point range, trailing Long Beach State's 10 of 25.

Utah, though, turned up the defensive intensity in the second half. TJ Burch played a key role in that effort as he finished with a team-high plus/minus of +14 — and that helped open up more offensive opportunities. In the second half, Utah shot 51.9% from the field while improving on its shot selection.

One timely steal also helped create separation at a critical juncture.

With under four minutes to play in a three-point game, Campbell poked the ball away from Adams, then quickly led a fast break opportunity.

Burch, who was trailing on the play, got in position for a pass from Campbell and hit the transition layup to make it 64-59 with 3:35 to play.

Utah ended up shooting 51% from the field compared to 40% for Long Beach State, but the Utes' free-throw shooting woes kept it closer than it should have been.

Utah made 9 of 19 free throws, while the Beach hit 11 of 19.

"Just little things like that, like the mental approach to it (that need improving)," Jensen said. "We'll get better, but guys have to realize their role and their job with the other four guys on the court and the team and not get stuck on their island."

Trey Campbell, along with Jackson Holcombe, run the ship for Utah. While the execution and effort were lacking far too often, the Utes were able to rely on veteran guys like Campbell, the former Northern Iowa star, and Holcombe, the former UVU standout, to make enough plays for Utah to eke out the win.

Holcombe scored five points and Campbell hit a 3 during a 10-0 run after Utah fell behind 47-30 just moments into the second half, and that was the spark that helped fuel the rally.

Later, Campbell made back-to-back shots in the lane as Utah tied the game at 56-all with 8:20 to play after having trailed for nearly 20 minutes of game time. That came as part of a 15-2 run where the Utes built a 60-56 lead.

Holcombe also scored Utah's final points of the night, getting loose on the baseline and cutting to the rim for a layup that put the Utes up 64-60 going into the final minute.

Then Campbell grabbed the final rebound of the game in a three-point contest, as Utah won the rebounding battle, 40-27.

Campbell, in particular, earned praise from his head coach after showcasing the kind of leadership the Utes will need this year. He ended up with a team-high 20 points on an efficient 7 of 11 shooting, while also hitting a team-high three 3-pointers.

Campbell added eight assists, six rebounds and four steals.

"We don't win the game without Trey tonight. I kind of feel bad for him because we had to lean on him as much as we did. We had to put the ball in his hands offensively," Jensen said. "And then he was our best defender on the two guys that they had that got going. So can't say enough about Trey. I feel bad because I don't think he had enough help."

Holcombe, who made a name for himself as an all-conference defensive specialist at Utah Valley, finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and a steal.

He also tied for the team high with three turnovers, and Jensen noted the growth curve that Holcombe will face elevating his game to a power conference level.

"Jackson, no question, the care factor — he's a competitor, love it, but he has to evolve," Jensen said. "We talk about home runs or making the big play. It's like those little plays that don't show up on this sheet, like being in the right spot on the weak side and talking that help."

The Utes, who will play 12 of their 14 nonconference games at the Huntsman Center, play again at home this week.

Utah will welcome Towson to town on Thursday for a 7 p.m. MST tip at the Huntsman. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.