Utah braved the winter weather and traveled to Logan on Tuesday afternoon where it faced the Utah State Aggies in its second to last game in the preseason.
With the game tied 61 all and just 10 seconds remaining in regulation, senior guard Dani Rodriguez hit the go-ahead basket and drew the foul as well. Rodriguez sunk the free throw that put Utah up 64-61. The Aggies got a shot off at the horn but it was not to be, as Utah pulled off its seventh victory on the year.
Utah forward Paige Crozon led all Utah scorers with 18 points. Tuesday marked Crozon’s third straight double-double, her fourth in five games. In the last three games, she is averaging 17 points and 11 rebounds on an efficient 47 percent from the floor. Crozon’s all-around game is paramount to unlocking Utah’s offense, which centers around feeding star post Emily Potter in the paint.
In addition to Crozon’s hot shooting against the Aggies, senior wing Katie Kuklok stepped up big for Utah as well in what is becoming a routine outing for her. Mukluk finished with 15 points, all coming from behind the arc on 5-of-8 shooting, including back-to-back three pointers to open the second period. She has worked her way into being a key cog of head coach Lynne Roberts’ rotation with her reliable outside shooting and rebounding, as well as her ability to play both wing and forward positions.
In a game that hung in the balance till the final horn with roughly 20 lead changes, Utah thought it had pulled away early in the fourth period scoring the first nine points of the quarter to gain a 52-44 lead. But the pendulum swung and the Aggies stormed back with a 12-2 run to answer, fueled by Funda Nakkasoglu’s eight points. The Aggie guard led all scorers with 19 points and dished out seven assists as well, carrying the Aggies’ offense.
While the Aggie guard led all scorers, she battled with Rodriguez the entire afternoon to get them, shooting a very pedestrian 6-for-17 from the floor.
“She’s a great player, Rodriguez said. “I busted my ass on defense, and she earned those baskets, but she had to really, really earn them.”
The Utes will now go to their respective homes to celebrate the holidays as well as this close win against a strong Utah State team.
“It’s even better going home after a win like this. Ending on a win is a great thing,” said Rodriguez of Utah’s win heading into the break.
Utah will matchup against UC Davis in its final preseason game of the year next Tuesday, Dec. 29th at the Huntsman Center. Tipoff will be at 7 p.m. MST.
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