SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- With 20 scouts watching Texas big man Chris Mihm and Utah's Hanno Mottola Wednesday night, Mottola knew it was time to show what he could do.

In just his second game since preseason knee surgery, Mottola scored a career-high 32 points, including a crucial 3-pointer, to lead Utah to a 79-73 over No. 14 Texas.

"I had to be ready against a great team like Texas," said Mottola, who also grabbed 11 rebounds for Utah (No. 24 ESPN/USA Today, unranked AP). "We needed someone to step up."

The Longhorns (6-3) closed to 65-62 on Mihm's jumper in the lane, but Mottola answered with a 3-pointer with 1:55 to play. Mottola made eight of his first 10 shots on a variety of inside moves and then made outside jumpers when Mihm guarded him in the second half.

"Mottola established himself on the inside in the first half," Mihm said. "Then he moved his game outside and hurt us from there in the second half. He has a great inside-outside game."

Mottola limped at times and looked winded, but had a quick first step on his drives to the basket. He also was forced to guard the 7-foot Mihm at times as the Utes (8-2) were missing starting center Nate Althoff with a sprained ankle.

"What can I say about Hanno? His numbers speak for themselves," Utah coach Rick Majerus said.

"I knew Hanno wouldn't come out and flop," teammate Tony Harvey said. "That's the way he always is capable of playing. The guy's an All-American. What do you expect?"

After the 6-9 senior's big 3-pointer, the Utes made 7-of-8 free throws in the last 1:29 to close out the Longhorns who hit two 3-pointers in the final 23 seconds.

Alex Jensen scored 11 points while Phil Cullen and Harvey each added nine for the Utes, who have won six straight.

Mihm led Texas with 19 points and Gabe Muoneke scored 14. William Clay, Chris Owens and Ivan Wagner each had 10 points for the Longhorns, who have lost three of five after beating top-20 teams DePaul and Michigan State in late November.

Mottola broke a 59-59 tie, the eighth of the game, with two inside moves to give Utah a 63-59 lead and the Utes did not trail again.

Early in the second half, Mottola nailed a 3-pointer to give Utah a 49-41 lead before Texas ran off 10 straight points. Mihm blocked Mottola's dunk attempt and then got a tip-in on the other end for the Longhorn's first lead of the second half at 51-49.

The victory extended Utah's home winning streak to 42, the second longest in the nation behind Murray State (46).

The Utes grabbed 15 offensive rebounds, and held a 34-28 advantage overall.

Texas shot 64 percent in the second half, but had eight turnovers and shot just 7-of-13 from the line in the half.

"There's a fine line between winning and losing," Texas coach Rick Barnes said. "Offensive rebounds and free throws made the difference in the game tonight."

Utah trailed 30-27 late in the first half but went on a 10-1 run, capped by five straight points by Mottola. The Utes led 39-33 at halftime.

"We played a very cerebral game," Majerus said. "We had excellent rotation and frustrated their big guys."