Utah said good-bye to its seniors with something that has become all too familiar — another loss. The Utes put up a fight on Senior Day but ultimately couldn’t keep pace with No. 7 Oregon State, losing 52-42.
Head coach Anthony Levrets said they gave one of the nation’s top teams a good effort.
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“We just weren’t able to make enough baskets down the stretch,” Levrets said. “Make a couple of threes and it’s a different game, but they’re a really good basketball team and I’m proud of our effort.”
Utah was shots blocked 10 times in the game with seven of those were by Oregon State’s Ruth Hamblin, who also scored 14 points.
“She’s one of the rare people in women’s basketball that can block her own player’s shot and also move and go block somebody else’s shot regularly,” Levrets said. “I think she’s the M.V.P. of the league.”
In Taryn Wicijowski’s final game at the Huntsman Center, she scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
“I think we competed really hard,” Levrets said. “I think we match up really well with them so if we saw this team again we could give them a run for their money.”
Joseta Fatuesi led the team in scoring with 12 points and she also pulled in five rebounds.
“Their second big is not as big and they were going to commit to taking away Taryn,” Levrets said. “Our plan was to throw it down there as often as we could and make them have to guard her (Fatuesi).”
Three players — Dani Rodriguez, Paige Crozon, and Tanaeya Boclair — each finished with six points.
Despite turning the ball over just seven times, their second lowest amount this season, the Utes still lacked the offensive punch to keep pace with the Beavers. The team shot 34.7 percent for the afternoon and did not sink any three pointers, going 0-of-6
“We’re just a little short offensively,” Levrets said. “They do a great job of defending the three-point line. When you have a player as good as Ruth Hamblin, she can protect the paint. They stay with their own matchups. Never really got into a rhythm.”
Utah was held scoreless for a 10 minute period in the first half of the game. During this span shots were bouncing in and out, Oregon State was swatting away shot after shot and the Utes struggled to handle the Beavers’ pressure defense. Fatuesi ended the scoring drought by scoring back-to-back layups, but Utah still trailed 24-17 at the end of the first half.
“They’re No. 7 for a reason,” Wicijowski said. “Throughout the season we’ve had droughts within games where we just can’t seem to score, if we can limit those or the length of time that those go on, that will be better for us.”
With this being the last home game for the seniors, Levrets said they will plenty of other memories to replace this loss with.
“I feel bad for our seniors walking out of here with a loss, but that can’t be the memory for them,” Levrets said. “Ten years from now they won’t remember today.”
Utah will now head down to Tempe, Ariz. to face off against No. 12 Arizona State on Friday night.
@kbrenneisen