Utah’s women’s basketball team had a chance to show the world what they are made of in the Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase from Nov. 21 to Nov. 23. Unfortunately for the Lady Runnin’ Utes, two losses sent them home sad as Big 12 play nears closer.
Game One: Syracuse
On Friday, the Utes women’s basketball team started competition in the Hall of Fame Women’s showcase, losing to Syracuse 61-49. The Utes started strong, with the score tied 12-12 at the end of the first quarter. Junior forward Chyra Evans scored the first basket for the Utes, on the way to finishing with 13 points. Evans had 6 out of the 12 first-quarter points for the Utes.
In the second quarter, senior guard Maty Wilke led the way, scoring with two 3-pointers. Senior guard Lani White chipped in with three free throws, and Utah went into halftime up 25-21, outscoring the Orange 13-9 in the quarter.
After halftime, the Utes started to go cold, and Syracuse took control of the game with an 8-0 run at the end of the third quarter. Wilke hit another 3-pointer, White scored four points, Evans had four points, and junior forward Reese Ross chipped in with two free throws. Syracuse held the scoring advantage 21-14 in the 3rd, giving them a 42-39 lead at the start of the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Syracuse put the game out of reach, outpacing the Utes 19-10 the rest of the way. Wilke scored five points, including her 4th 3-pointer of the game, a team high. Ross also hit a 3-pointer in the final quarter, but it was not enough.
Syracuse wins 61-49, dropping the Utes to a 3-2 record. Two Utes scored in double digits: Wilke finished with a team high 18 points, and Evans scored 13 points on 6/9 shooting from the field. White and Ross both finished with seven points apiece to round out the scoring leaders. Ross paced the Utes in rebounding with seven, which put her career rebounding mark over 300. The Utes shot 36.5 percent from the field and 22.7 percent from three. Syracuse led the rebounding margin 49-31, including 24 offensive rebounds to Utah’s six.
In the postgame press conference, head coach Gavin Peterson addressed the loss, putting an emphasis on the turnover battle, which the Utes lost 21-10. ”Our lack of execution, especially out of timeouts and to start quarters, was a little disappointing. That is on me, and I need to do a better job having our players ready for that,” Peterson said.
Game Two: UConn
In game two of the showcase, the Utes faced off against defending national champions and first-ranked team in the country, UConn. The Utes got off to a very slow start, as UConn raced to a 32-8 lead after the first quarter. Senior guard White hit a 3-pointer, and sophomore guard Brooke Walker hit a 3-pointer to pace the Utes in the quarter. In the second quarter, the Utes played much better on defense, only being outscored 12-11. Walker scored another two jump shots, including a 3-pointer; she would finish the game with eight points. White made three baskets in the quarter and would finish the game with nine points to pace the Utes. At halftime, the Huskies lead 44-19.
In the third quarter, the Huskies outscored the Utes 29-5, including a 21-3 run over the first five minutes of the second half. The Huskies are in complete control at this point, and bench players for both teams get some playing time.
In the fourth quarter, the Huskies outscored the Utes 20-17 to win the game 93-41. The game was not competitive and outside of the first five minutes, not close score-wise. The Utes shot 25.9 percent from the field, 8/37 from three (21.6 percent), and only made 14 field goals all game. UConn shot 53.7 percent from the field and 44 percent from three on 11/25 attempts. The Huskies are a great team that won the National Championship last year, but this was still a game to forget for the Utes.
The Utes return to action Nov. 26 to face Weber State at the Huntsman Center. Tip-off is 7 p.m. local time.
