Utah Women’s Basketball Faces Tough Test Against Cal, Stanford

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University of Utah Utes Women’s Basketball Team Guard Dru Gylten (10) dribbles with the ball during an NCAA Basketball match vs. the South Dakota Coyotes at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019. (Photo by Abu Asib | The Daily Utah Chronicle)

By Ethan Pearce, Sports Editor

 

The University of Utah women’s basketball team (9-8, 2-4 Pac-12) is continuing a three-game road trip this weekend with stops at California and Stanford. 

The Utes are on a two-game winning streak with victories over USC and Colorado. They have been streaky all season, with wins and losses mostly coming in bursts. With some momentum behind them, look for the Utes to play well this weekend.

At 9-8 overall, the team has an opportunity to pick up some nice wins, but they won’t come easy. Though the Golden Bears are 8-9, they are likely better than their record. They have lost six in a row, but the last four of those have come against Top 10 teams nationwide. They were just blown out 105-55 by No. 6 Oregon and are certainly hungry for a win. In front of their home crowd against a beatable opponent, Cal will come out of the gate swinging. It’s up to the Utes to block out the noise and put together another solid all-around game to come out with a win, but a motivated Cal team hopes that doesn’t happen. The game is scheduled for Friday at 1 p.m. and will air on Pac-12 Network.

From there, the Utes will travel to Stanford for a game against the No. 5 Stanford Cardinal. They are 16-2 on the season and just suffered their second loss of the year to Oregon last week. Led by Kiana Williams, Stanford is a very good team across the board. In the second game of the weekend on the road against a Top 5 team, the Utes will have their hands full. The game is on Sunday at 1 p.m. and will again be broadcast on Pac-12 Network.

The Utes will need to play well to continue their winning streak. Against tough opponents on the road, this is a major test for this team. If they can come out of the weekend with some strong performances and even just one win, they should feel pretty good about themselves.

Utah is back at home next week on Jan. 30 to face No. 6 Oregon.

 

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