Completed Event: Women's Basketball at Eastern Kentucky on March 19, 2026 , Loss , 58, to, 72
Final Score
Women's Basketball
58
at Eastern Kentucky
72
The University of Utah Athletics
Utah Women's Basketball Season In Review
4/10/2001 12:00 AM | Women's Basketball
April 10, 2001
Salt Lake City - When the Utah women's basketball team took the court for its season opener in mid-November, the question pondered by many was, would this be the year? Would this be the year that Utah climbed back into the Top 25 polls? Would this be the year the Utes not only won the conference title, but won it in a dominant fashion? And, would this be the year the Utes danced like the had never danced before, making it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. With four starters and 11 letterwinners back from a team that won 20-games, captured the league regular-season and tournament titles, and went to the NCAAs a year ago, the personnel was in place. Confident, talented and seasoned, the Utes provided resounding answers to those questions over the next five months, and in the process made an indelible mark on one of the nation's most storied programs.
To the surprise of no one, Utah was picked as the preseason favorite to win the Mountain West Conference championship. From a technical standpoint, Utah's game plan seemed simple enough. However, after stepping on the court, opponents would beg to differ. The groundwork was fundamentals, experience the foundation, and team work brought it all together. It was a blue print for success that had been followed at Utah for years, resulting in nine previous conference titles and 10 NCAA Tournament appearances in head coach Elaine Elliott's tenure.
Throughout the season, Utah played with a sense of determination and stubbornness. With an unyielding defense, the Utes were always in the game. Offensively, Utah was a difficult team to prepare for. Rather than relying on one marquee player, the Utes featured several stars, and a strong supporting cast.
Getting off to a rousing start, the Utes went unblemished through their first 11 games and recorded the second-best opening to a season in school history. Facing a grueling cross-country trip at the season's outset, Utah served notice early on that it was going to be a force to be reckoned with. The Utes pounded perennial West Coast power UCLA on Nov. 17, then flew half way across the country to throttle Iowa, the eventual Big Ten Tournament champion, just two days later on its homecourt. After reeling off six more wins at home, as well as getting a thrilling and convincing 63 to 48 win over 14th-ranked Oregon on Dec. 16, the Utes had legitimized themselves to the rest of the country. That following Monday, Utah broke into the national rankings for the first time since the 1998-99 season with a No. 25 showing in the AP Poll.
After climbing further up the ladder in the national rankings, Utah sustained its only losses of the regular-season just before the start of conference play. A heartbreaking loss at Stanford proved that sometimes the score doesn't necessarily tell the whole story. Utah was physically outmanned at every position by the Cardinal, but by playing their "team" game the Utes still managed to lead for a full 30 minutes before fatigue set it. After a setback to Loyola Marymount in Salt Lake City, the Utes went on to run roughshod over the Mountain West Conference winning all 14 games. It was a feat that had been achieved only one other time in school history. With a great regular season behind them, the Utes were poised to make a strong run through the postseason.
Entering the Mountain West Conference Tournament full of optimism as the No. 1 seed, Utah suffered a disappointing loss in the semifinals to Brigham Young. But, perhaps it was a blessing in disguise. With extra time to recharge their minds and their bodies before beginning the final stretch of the season, Utah was focused on the task at hand in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
Selection Sunday was filled with anxious moments. As the Utes sat in the President's suite at Rice-Eccles Stadium, the was no doubt in their minds that they would make the field of 64. But, would they earn that elusive high seed and the right to host first and second round games for the first time. When the bids were announced, the answer, was YES! Celebration filled the room. For the Utes, its was their second-straight and 11th overall NCAA Tournament berth, but this time, the road to the Sweet 16 would go through Salt Lake City.
As the No. 5 seed in the Midwest Region, Utah opened the tournament against 12th seeded Fairfield University. Behind a career-high 23 points from Kristina Andersen, who led three players in double figures, the Utes moved on to the second round. Two nights later in front of yet another national television audience, the Utes would face a familiar foe in fourth-seeded Iowa, at team that they had beaten by 24 points back on November 19 in Iowa City. Although the Hawkeyes were vastly improved, Utah's stifling defense was up to the challenge, limiting Iowa to just 26 percent shooting from the field. The final score, Utah 66, Iowa. 42. The Utes had made history. And after a celebration that went on well into the night, the Utes and their fans were on a Rocky Mountain high and headed to Denver for the Sweet 16.
In the Midwest Regional semifinal, the Utes would face top-seeded Notre Dame. The game was one of heightened emotion, as the careers of seniors were on the verge of coming to an end.
Utah set the tone early against the Irish, going point for point and rebound for rebound, forging a four point lead with 10 minutes remaining in the half. The Crimson and White had proven themselves as a team to be reckoned with, and the Fighting Irish knew that they were going to be in for a battle. The look on Notre Dame Head Coach Muffet McGraw's face said it all, as she was both surprised and angered by Utah's determination. Utah hung with the Golden Domers until the eight-minute mark of the second half. But with six-foot five center Ruth Riley, the Naismith Player of the Year, battling for points and boards in the paint, the Utes were simply worn down physically. Utah may have lost the game, but it put up an honorable fight against the eventual national champions. Their season had came to end, but once the tears subsided, the sense of their accomplishments began to set it. It was a season to remember.
Finishing with a 28-4 record, the Utes won 20-plus games for the seventh straight year and reached 20 wins faster than any other team during the Elaine Elliott era. Utah also extended its string of consecutive post-season appearances to seven.
The Utes ranked first in the NCAA in scoring defense for the third consecutive year, holding their opponents to an average of 51.1 points per game. Utah also ranked second in the nation in field goal percentage defense, sixth in free-throw percentage, ninth in scoring margin and seventh in winning percentage. Senior Kristina Andersen was 16th in the NCAA in free-throw percentage.
A team that thrived on balance, eight different players led the Utes in scoring and six different players led the team in rebounding throughout the season.
Senior Amy Ewert, Utah's defensive ace, was an honorable-mention Kodak All-America selection, the Mountain West Conference Co-Player of the Year, the Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team all-conference pick.
Junior Lauren Beckman ranked in the top 25 in the conference in scoring and rebounding, and led the Utes in both categories all season. She was an honorable-mention Kodak All-American, a first-team All-Mountain West Conference selection and a two-time league Player of the Week. With one season remaining, she already ranks in the top 10 in seven categories on Utah's career charts and is the all-time leader in blocked shots.
Senior forward Kristina Andersen was also among the top 25 in scoring and rebounding in the league. She received third-team all-MWC honors in and climbed into second-place in free-throw percentage on Utah's career-charts. Andersen also finished among the top 10 in five other categories on Utah's all-time list.
In addition to a great team made up of great players, Utah's success in 2000-2001 also rested squarley on the shoulders of a well-seasoned head coach and an inspired staff. A multiple-award winner over the years, Elaine Elliott was selected as the Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year, the IKON/WBCA District Seven Coach of the Year and the John and Nellie Wooden Coach of the Year. It was the sixth time she earned coach of the year honors in both the league and the district.
Even with all the championships and winning seasons that have become synonymous with Utah women's basketball, the 2000-2001 season is sure to be one that will be remembered for years to come. The Utes were a team in every sense of the word, and one that more than carried on Utah's storied tradition ... a tradition of excellence.
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