The No. 19 University of Utah Utes women’s basketball team fell to the No. 8 Stanford Cardinal on Friday night at the Huntsman Center, 64-66. This was their second loss in a row by a combined 3 points, after Sunday’s 70-71 overtime heartbreaker at Arizona.
Both offenses got off to a humming start. Dasia Young nailed a three to start the scoring for Utah. After a couple of Stanford buckets, Alissa Pili hit a three as well. A couple of possessions later, Pili made another three to cap off an 8-0 run for Utah. Both defenses settled in after that and the scoring slowed down. Lani White scored in the last seconds in the quarter to give the Utes a two-point lead after one.
The Cardinal controlled much of the second quarter. Inês Vieira hit two three-pointers to go with a couple baskets from Jenna Johnson. This tied the game 29-29 halfway through the quarter, but Stanford went on a 9-0 run right after. A Pili field goal and pair of free throws cut into the lead a little bit, but the Utes went into halftime facing a 33-40 deficit.
Johnson scored the first points of the second half on a three pointer, but Stanford responded with six points in a row. Young catapulted an 8-0 run for Utah with three points the old fashioned way. She was fouled on a basket assisted by Vieira and hit the free throw. Johnson then scored five points in about 30 seconds to cut the deficit to 44-46. It was a back and forth second half, and the end of the third quarter reflected that. Vieira made a three to cut Stanford’s lead to just one with a minute remaining, but Stanford scored five points in that final minute to bring their lead back up to six heading into the fourth, 55-49.
The Utes made a great run in the final quarter that kept this game within reach. With around eight minutes left, Stanford had scored a few times to make their lead 61-52. The Utes defense put up an incredible wall and the Cardinal didn’t score for the next four and a half minutes. Utah slowly cut into the lead but was never quite able to get over the hump. Pili made a tough shot with just under a minute left to bring it to one at 64-65. The Utes got an opportunity in the final seconds after getting a stop but turned it over with just four seconds remaining. After a couple of fouls, Stanford made one of two free throws and the score was 66-64 with just 1.6 seconds left. Utes head coach Lynne Roberts called timeout and subsequently advanced the ball. Pili got a decent look at a game-winning three at the buzzer, but the shot came up short and the Cardinal held on for the narrow victory.
It was a tough night for Pili, who was held to 16 points on 5-18 shooting. Johnson, Vieira and Matyson Wilke joined her in double scoring figures.
The loss marked Utah’s first at home this season, and their first at the Huntsman Center since Feb. 26, 2022 against the Oregon Ducks. They look to rebound on Sunday at noon, at home against Cal. Next weekend, they have another homestand against the Los Angeles schools. They play USC Friday, Jan. 19 and UCLA the following Monday, Jan. 22.
