It's never easy to lose to a rival, but the Utah swimming and diving teams' focus on the end of the season helped take away some of the sting after a close loss to BYU.

Another strong second-half effort extended the Utes' winning streak to 12 games in a row Sunday afternoon, as Utah beat visiting Wyoming 64-57.

Utah, 16-7 (7-2 MWC), had four players score 15 points and shot 11-for-24 from 3-point range en route to the 80-70 win over the Cowboys.

For the first time this season, Utah did not improve on its team score from the week prior.

The fifth-year head coach spoke about the potential relapse the team and program could have gone through after former coach Urban Meyer left for Florida after the 2004 season.

The team will head south to take part in the Red Desert Classic in St. George, where the Utes will play five games in the three-day tournament.

It was another close game for the Runnin' Utes, and for the third game in a row, they found a way to win.

The women's basketball team's second-half adjustments were enough to propel the Utes to their 11th straight victory Wednesday night. Kalee Whipple led Utah with 21 points and 11 rebounds, and the Utes held TCU to 31 percent shooting in the second half as they defeated the Horned Frogs 73-63 in the Hunstman Center.

Round two of Mountain West Conference play starts Sunday afternoon for the Utes as they take on the Wyoming Cowgirls. Utah had its way last time against Wyoming, beating the inexperienced Cowgirls 70-52 in the conference opener. However, Wyoming has improved since the two last met and have won three of its past four games.

All season, the Utah swimming and diving team has been focused on the upcoming Mountain West Conference championships, but for its meet Friday, the focus is changing.