The U women’s basketball team withstood a late game USC rally and escaped with a thrilling four-point win over the Trojans on Monday night, running its winning streak to three straight and improving its record to 4-4.
The Utes dominated both ends of the court in the first half. Five different Utes rained six threes on USC in the first 20 minutes, and the Utes held the Trojans to 15 percent field goal shooting. The combination of hot shooting and tough defense gave Utah a 16-point lead going into the break.
But the Utes struggled to put USC away in the second half. The Trojans remained within striking distance, pulling within nine points with eight minutes to go.
“The first thirty minutes belonged to us in terms of energy and (USC) took that over,” coach Elaine Elliott said. “They’re very athletic and as soon as they decided that they were going to have to kick it in or go home embarrassed, they brought their game.”
USC kicked it in, indeed. The Trojans began full-court pressing the Utes, which forced turnovers and gave the Utes a scare in the waning moments of the game as USC scored 16 points in the final three and a half minutes.
Down by two with six seconds remaining, USC had possession of the ball and a chance to take the lead.
USC shot a baseline three that bounced off the iron. The Utes got the ball back and a quick foul put freshman forward Kalee Whipple on the free-throw line.
Whipple drained both shots, making it a two-possession game and finally finishing off USC.
Whipple earned her second double-double of her young career as she scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 27 minute, taking home player-of-the-game honors.
Whipple connected on six-out-of-12 from the field, including three-out-of-seven from beyond the three-point arc, winning praise from Elliott, who complimented her athleticism and ability to finish close to the hoop.
“She has the spark that you need,” Elliott said. “She has the characteristics of a player that can go to the line and make those shots. She wants to be there at the end and she believes in herself.”
For Whipple, whose senior class in Hiko, Nev., graduated 24 students, just playing for the Utes is a thrill.
“It’s so hard to think about how I was in a little, old town in Hiko, Nev. (last season),” Whipple reminisced, “(and now I’m) here to play these big people, people I watched on TV.”
The ever-productive Morgan Warburton added 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists and buried two threes. Point guard Brette Ulsaker, who plays as unselfishly as John Stockton, added six points, five assists and four rebounds.
Next up for the Utes is a home game against Arizona on Saturday at 3 p.m.
Christopher PeddecordMarie Warner takes a hook shot under pressure during the Utes’ win over USC on Monday night at the Hunstman Center.