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Kansas City • Twice on Saturday afternoon, Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak led a tight-lipped march to the visiting locker room through the gray tunnels of the Sprint Center.
On the first, his team was down 18 points at halftime to Kansas. On the second, the No. 13 Runnin' Utes had lost by three.
Given a choice between the two, he'd more readily face the second scenario again.
"I'm pretty proud of the moral victory aspect of it," Krystkowiak said, after digesting the 63-60 defeat. "It's hard to sit up here and be as disappointed as I would be if it was just a first-half game."
It was at once inspiring and frustrating: Utah managed to completely erase a 21-point second-half deficit and yet still fall to No. 10 Kansas in its toughest non-conference test this season. All but left for dead midway through, the Utes rallied behind stellar defense to make it just close enough to break hearts.
Down 42-21 shortly after halftime, a surge in Utah's defensive effort held Kansas to only 26 percent shooting for the final 20 minutes. The Utes challenged the Jayhawks at the perimeter, locked down on forward Perry Ellis and cleaned the glass.
Meanwhile, the Jayhawk lead flaked away steadily - some layups, some jumpers, and just a few free throws - until the Utes took the lead with 4:36 left on a layup by Jakob Poeltl. The 34-11 run, which came over the course of 15 minutes, seemed to suck the air out of the Jayhawk-friendly crowd of 17,627.
It was a back-and-forth tussle at the end, as Kansas sunk its final eight shots at the line. The Utes scrapped, getting as close as a point behind twice in the final two minutes: Dakarai Tucker hit a 3-pointer on Utah's third try in a single possession, and Delon Wright made a driving layup with 13 seconds left, the last of his game-high 23 points.
But the final possession was a dud of an ending to the comeback story: After Brannen Greene cooly sank a pair of free throws, Utah's offense was completely stymied from beyond the arc. It eventually fell to the 7-foot Poeltl to take a desperate 3-pointer that was way off the mark.
The loss ended a six-game winning streak for Utah, which has seen its stock rise in recent weeks thanks to toppling Wichita State and BYU. The upstart Utes learned a harsh lesson against one of college basketball's most storied programs: Play hard the whole game.
"It was an incredible comeback, we fought to the end and I'm proud of the team," said Poeltl, who finished with 8 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks. "But still, it's kind of frustrating that in the end, it's just a loss. We could've done so much better."
They also could've done so much worse.
In Krystkowiak's estimation, only one player was ready to go from the beginning: Wright warmed up to the ESPN spotlight early, scoring 9 of Utah's first 15 points, including two buckets from picking Jayhawks' pockets. He eventually finished with 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals in the game.
But after some spirited competition, Wayne Selden sparked a 23-4 run over the last nine minutes of the half that seemed to snuff out Utah's upset hopes. In the same stretch that Kansas shot 6 for 8 from the field, including three 3-pointers, Utah was only 2 for 14.
The Utes lone field goal in the final six minutes of the first half came on a breathtaking crossover and a one-handed dunk finish. But it was one of the few points of light in a largely futile ending to the period.
Afterward, both coach and players pointed to a lack of energy in those first half minutes. If only, they were left wondering, if only we had found some.
"Hopefully at the end of the year, our team will build on this loss," Wright said. "It's a loss. We're not going to win every game, but I'm proud that we fought. That we didn't lose by 15, 20, 40, whatever."
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Runnin' Utes can't complete comeback
R Utah comes back from 21 points down in the second half.
• Delon Wright leads all scorers with 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting.
• The Utes hold Kansas to 26 percent shooting in the second half.