The Utah Women’s Basketball team fell just short of a road win over the Baylor Bears in their sixth Big 12 matchup of the season. The 61-70 loss was a neck-and-neck game before the Bears ultimately pulled away late in the fourth with a 10-2 run.
A valiant comeback effort led by Gianna Kneepkens and Matyson Wilke wasn’t enough for Utah, as Baylor’s size was too much to handle down low. The Bears’ 44 points in the paint and 25 points off of turnovers tell the game’s story.
A typically fundamentally sound Utes team struggled to take care of the ball. Twenty-one turnovers in the game for Utah played right into Baylor’s strategy of playing hectic defense and forcing mistakes. Big 12 play has featured a lot of this play style from existing conference members.
Despite the loss, Utah had some strong individual performances. Kneepkens and Wilke each scored 17 points, while Reese Ross provided 12 points and 7 rebounds off the bench. Unfortunately for the Utes, this production wasn’t enough for a victory.
Gavin Petersen’s team has now lost two out of three games. The Lady Runnin’ Utes are struggling to gain traction following the injury of Kennady McQueen. McQueen’s high ankle sprain isn’t a season-ender, but she is likely to miss more time than the three games she has already sat out.
The Utes will continue their road trip to Fort Worth on Friday to take on the 10th-ranked TCU Horned Frogs. Petersen’s team will have to find answers down low for 6’7 Sedona Prince. Prince is averaging a strong 18.7 points per game to pair with 9.3 rebounds.
A strong road test against the Frogs could be a great opportunity for the Utes to get back on track before coming back to their home state to take on Kansas. The Lady Runnin’ Utes have proven to be resilient this season, and McQueen’s injury is another test that Petersen’s team can surely overcome.
