It was a not-so-storybook ending for the Utes, as they fell to Stanford 72-54 in their final home game of the season.
Through the first half Utah showed its grit, battling Stanford on the boards and matching its defensive intensity. But as the game went on, Stanford continued to do just enough of all the small things to pull away from Utah. Head coach Lynne Roberts credits Stanford for working hard the entire game.
“Stanford is a really good team, they’re 15th in the country for a reason,” Roberts said. “You have to tip your hat when you get beat by a better team and we did today.”
It was an unfortunate end to the season in the Huntsman for Utah fans, hopeful for an upset against the No. 15 Cardinal, but there were plenty of reasons for everyone to leave the Huntsman Center with their heads held high.
Just two minutes into the game, senior point guard Dani Rodriguez, who has established herself as the face of the current program, took a hard elbow to the face on a loose ball scrum. She went down and was assisted off the floor into the locker room where she was evaluated for a concussion.
“My heart broke,” said senior wing Katie Kuklok. “I was just hoping she would be able to come back.”
In her absence, Utah battled and received strong play from backup point guard Erika Bean. But since it was senior day, the last time Rodriguez would ever get to play in front of a Utah crowd, there was no way she was going to stay out for long.
The Utes treaded water in the absence of their floor leader, but as the second period wore on, Stanford began to take control of the game and put together a 10-0 run to take a nine point lead. At the 6:22 mark of the second period, the Huntsman Center crowd rose to its feet in applause as Rodriguez checked back into the game.
After a few close misses, Rodriguez found a rhythm and singlehandedly stole Stanford’s momentum heading into the break. In one sequence, Rodriguez worked the top of the floor on a high pick and roll, got to the hoop and scored. On the other end of the floor, she blocked a Cardinal layup and took the ball coast to coast before spotting up behind the three-point line, knocking down the triple to cap off the first half with her own 5-0 run.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from Dani,” said teammate Paige Crozon. “It was pretty special to see.”
With two black eyes and a set of fresh stitches, Rodriguez fed on the energy of the crowd and puled Utah back to within striking distance while Stanford held onto a 31-27 lead at the half.
As the second half began, Stanford again imposed its will on Utah and the Utes could never again make a run at the lead, as the Cardinal outscored Utah 23-13 in the third quarter.
As the regular season comes to a close for Utah, players, coaches and fans alike happily look back on the progress they’ve enjoyed this season and look forward to the promise of the future. Roberts has continually cited her first season as a foundation for building the Utah women’s basketball program back into an elite level team.
Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer, who has coached for nearly 40 years in collegiate basketball and has amassed a record of 960-219, has taken notice of Roberts’ efforts.
“She’s doing a great job,” VanDerveer said. “She’s a very hard worker. I like the style that play, up tempo. I just think there’s a very positive vibe from this whole place.”
Up next the Utes will fly to Washington for the final two games of the regular season against Washington and Washington State. Utah has already clenched a winning record for the year, ensuring eligibility for the WNIT, but the Utes will look to gain as much attention as they can in the final two games of the season.
@WestinJay