After the postponement of their game against Oregon, the University of Utah’s women’s basketball team had a few extra days to prepare for their game against the Oregon State Beavers.

The Utes struggled to find any type of offensive rhythm in the first quarter, having to wait until nearly halfway through the opening period to see the ball go through the hoop and even longer to hit a shot from the field. The Beavers took advantage of the slow beginning and jumped out to an early lead. 

However, Brynna Maxwell, who has been relatively quiet offensively as of recent, and Kemery Martín were able to find their groove late in the quarter and at one point cut the deficit down to just two points. 

After shaking off a dismal offensive start, the Utes rebounded and came out to start the second quarter, scoring seven unanswered. Spurred by offensive play from Dru Gylten, Utah was able to tie the ballgame with 8:23 left in the period. 

Utah continued its second-quarter surge, going on an 8-0 run to lead Oregon State by a score of 31-28 with less than four minutes left in the half. 

Oregon State answered with a 10-0 run of their own to end the half. Going into the locker room, the Utes were faced with the painfully familiar situation of being down at halftime. 

When the action resumed, the Utes were facing an uphill battle from being down 44-35. The Utes’ offensive struggles returned from the first quarter, with Utah not finding their first basket of the period until the 5:47 mark. 

Utah closed out the third quarter shooting a dismal 14% from the floor and only hit two field goals during the entire frame. 

While looking bleak, the Utes rallied in the final period of the game. Maxwell truly found her rhythm and helped bring the Utes within nine points with 8:46 left on the clock. Oregon State would answer with a bucket of their own to push the lead back to 12. 

While down double digits, the Utes did not give up. In an impressive four-minute defensive lockdown, the Utes did not allow the Beavers to score a single basket. 

As is the case, the good defense led to great offense. Through Utah’s defensive stand, the Utes went on a 10-0 run to cut the game to a one-possession affair. 

It was an impressive rally, but Utah went cold at exactly the wrong moment. Within the last three minutes, the Utes were unable to score a basket. 

The Beavers would eventually pull away, thanks to the charity stripe, and finished with an 84-74 victory. 

The Utes were led by an impressive performance from Maxwell, who ended her offensive silence with a 27 point performance. Maxwell was followed by Martin with 16 points and Gylten with 11. 

With their loss to Oregon State, the Utes have fallen to 3-10 in conference play and 4-10 overall. 

As the season winds down, the Utes have only a handful of attempts to make their record more favorable. The Utes’ next opportunity will come against the California Golden Bears on Friday, followed by the Stanford Cardinal on Sunday. The Utes will face both opponents at the Huntsman Center. 

Utah will need to face their offensive struggles head-on in order to pick up these much-needed wins in the final stretch of the season.

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