Huntsman Center. Photo by Chris Ayers.
In the final three minutes Sunday, USC began to pressure the Utes, and the road team stumbled.
“There are two things that happen in all areas of life, and that is fight or flight,” Levrets said. “Do you attack or do you panic? In most cases, we are fight. But for whatever reason, when we see press, it creates a panic in us that we have to get squared away.”
In preparation for hosting its first conference home game on Friday against Stanford, Utah’s main focus this week in practice is how to handle that pressure. Playing against an athletic team such as the Cardinal, Levrets said attacking is the best way to beat it.
As the team’s point guard, sophomore Danielle Rodriguez will be tasked with being a primary ballhandler in the backcourt as Utah aims to attack the press.
“We are not always going to get timeouts with the media and stuff during the games,” Rodriguez said. “That is something that we have to fight through. It is about mental toughness.”
Anae returns
One good sign that should help the Utes is the return of freshman forward Wendy Anae, who suffered a fractured leg in November. She was cleared to practice and play on Tuesday, and Levrets said she has been doing her best to get ready for the challenge.
Prior to her injury, Anae had carved out the role of backing up starting center Emily Potter. Anae’s injury has forced the Utes to use Potter more and to pull Nakia Arquette off the bench. The new depth will be a help, but Levrets said he is not quite keen on throwing Anae completely back in just yet.
“I do not think it will take her too long, but I do not expect her to come out this week and play 25 minutes,” Levrets said. “I think we will bring her along slowly so she does not get hurt or have something else get hurt, but she is available.”
Plouffe scores more records
In Sunday’s loss to USC, senior forward Michelle Plouffe scored 15 points, which moved her up to sixth all-time on the school’s leading scorers’ list. She has 1,763 points in her career. Leading the Utes on the all-time list is Plouffe’s fellow countrywoman and Olympic teammate Kim Smith, who scored 2,281 points in her career at Utah.