LOGAN — After taking one of the top teams in the country down to the wire last weekend, the Utes experienced a letdown Tuesday night on the road.
Utah fell to the Utah State Aggies 77-61. Trailing by two with seven minutes remaining, the Utes surrendered a 14-0 run as the Aggies pulled away. Although Utah started off well thanks to junior guard Cheyenne Wilson’s three-point shooting, the defense was not able to slow down Utah State for all 40 minutes.
“We just did not defend them, and they are a good team, but we did not follow the game plan and scout from the very beginning and that is really tough,” said Utes head coach Anthony Levrets. “Then they get going when you do not and it turns into a long night.”
The Utes’ task on defense was not an easy one, as the Aggies had scored at least 100 points in their previous two games. Levrets said his team was just not able to get the turnovers it needed. Utah also struggled to rebound, as Utah State took 41 off the glass compared to 36 for the Utes. Utah lost the ball 14 times throughout the game, and error which led to 19 Utah State points.
On the Utes’ offensive end, Wilson led with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including a perfect 4-for-4 in the first half.
“It was weird because during shootaround I was just not hot at all,” Wilson said. “It was just clank, clank. But then in the game, it felt good, so I just kept shooting. My teammates kept encouraging me to shoot, gave me the ball so I just let it fly.”
In the second half, however, Aggie Jennifer Schlott took over. After scoring 12 in the first frame, she exploded for 25 in the second. Her 37 points for the contest are a new career high. For Utah, Michelle Plouffe added 13 points and 15 rebounds while Emily Potter posted 12 points and six rebounds. Dani Rodriguez contributed a career-high nine assists at point guard.
Wilson said the key moving forward for the Utes will be the development of their underclassmen. The young group had trouble defending Utah State’s fast-pace offense and dealing with its aggressive defense. Wilson said she can relate to them.
“This year we have a ton of freshmen, so it feels like we have started all over again,” she said. “Like with a play, trying not to get frustrated because we feel like they should know this, but they are as new as can be. You just got to be patient and encourage them and let them know that mistakes happen and just to get through it.”
Utah will travel to Las Vegas to face off against the UNLV Rebels next Tuesday. Levrets and Wilson said that the focus in practice over the next few days will be precisely what the team struggled with Tuesday night, defense. Learning how to crash the boards will also be a priority.
“Rebounding for sure,” Wilson said. “We need to get our underclassmen on board with how physical college basketball is. It’s important to practice hard in anything so that the games will come easily.”
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