Utes Fall In Battle At Alabama, 65-60

Monday, November 13

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

6:00 PM

University of Utah

1-1

Alabama

2-0

UTAH

Alabama

11/13/2017 8:25 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – In what was a battle from start to finish with four lead changes and six ties, the Utah women's basketball program fell to the Alabama Crimson Tide on Monday night, 65-60.

Utah led by as many as 10 points in the first half, but a tough third quarter let Alabama sneak back into the game, eventually leading to the loss.

"I thought we controlled the first half and they controlled the second," head coach Lynne Roberts said. "They scored 22 second half free throws, so it really was a tale of two halves. We had a great shot to win it, but it didn't fall in our favor."

The Utes were led in scoring by Megan Huff with 13 points and eight rebounds while Emily Potter added 11 points and six boards before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Tilar Clark and Daneesha Provo both added seven points each with Tori Williams contributing eight points and a career-high seven rebounds.

"This was good for us," Roberts said. "Win or lose, we knew we would learn from this game. This is going to get us ready for Pac-12 play."

Clark scored the Utes' first five points of the game, giving them an early 5-2 lead with 7:25 left in the first quarter, but the Utes hit a drought, not scoring again until the 3:55 mark to tie the score 7-7 on a Provo layup. Provo along with a deep three-pointer from Williams sparked a 7-0 run by the Utes, eventually leading to a 15-11 advantage heading into the second quarter.

Alabama was able to make it a one-point game early in the second quarter, but Emily Potter scored six straight points for Utah to give the Utes a 21-15 lead with 6:31 on the clock. The Utes got stingy on defense late in the quarter, holding Alabama scoreless for over three minutes and even held a 10-point lead with less than two minutes to go, but the Crimson tide was able to sneak in a three-pointer and jumper in the final minute to cut the Utah lead to 30-25 heading into halftime.

The Crimson Tide came out of halftime hot with four unanswered points to make it a one-point game, but Huff hit a key three-pointer to cool them off to make it 33-29 Utah. Alabama continued to stay on Utah's heels, taking a 41-36 lead on a 6-0 run with 4:22 left in the third quarter.

Alabama continued to hold its lead late in the third quarter, extending it to eight points, but the Utes clawed back to make it a two-point game heading into the final period. Huff was able to find an open three-pointer in the corner with seven seconds on the clock to make it 48-46 to end the third quarter.

Utah's shooting struggles continued into the fourth quarter as Alabama took a 54-46 lead with the Utes unable to score until the 6:18 mark to make it a six-point game. Utah was then able to make it a four-point game with less than five minutes to play on a Huff jump shot, but Alabama answered with a jumper of their own to extend their lead to six points heading into the final media timeout of the game.

The Utes kept fighting, coming back from a seven-point deficit to make it a three-point game with a three-pointer from Erika Bean. With less than a minute to play, Alabama was able to convert on a jumper, but Williams answered with another power play from deep to make it 60-58 and just a two-point deficit with 28 seconds left in the game.

Despite a late layup by Huff, the Utes weren't able to hit a final three-point attempt and Alabama was able to knock down free throws down the line, sealing the 65-60 win.

Utah will return to action when they travel in-state to Weber State on Nov. 17. The game is set for a 7 p.m. tip and will air on BigSkyConf.com.