Utes Fall In Tough Game To #17 Oregon State, 69-58

Friday, January 26

Salt Lake City, Utah

6:00 PM

University of Utah

14-6, 5-4

Oregon State

15-5, 6-3

Oregon State

UTAH

Photo by: Steve C. Wilson

Utes Fall In Tough Game To #17 Oregon State, 69-58

1/26/2018 9:01 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

SALT LAKE CITY – The University of Utah women's basketball team battled till the end tonight against the No. 17 Oregon State Beavers, but fell 69-58. Utah is 14-6 overall this season and 5-4 in Pac-12 play.

The final score was not indicative of how the game was played, with Utah holding a lead halfway through the third quarter and only trailing by two points with 2:25 left in the game. It was an 11-0 run in the third quarter that gave OSU the lead and despite a surge from the Utes late in the fourth, the Beavers went on another 6-0 run with less than a minute to go that sealed the win.

"We got good looks in the first half and they really took that away in the second," head coach Lynne Roberts said. "Megan Huff had it rolling and they were having a hard time with Emily Potter as well, but our execution just wasn't very good and that is on us, and on me. But I also think you have to give them credit with how they defended. They did a nice job taking us out of it."

Huff had a career-night with 26 points (10-for-16), adding six rebounds. Potter finished the game with 14 points, four rebounds, four assists and a season-high four steals while Daneesha Provo added nine points and three assists.

Oregon State jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead in the first quarter, but Utah countered with two buckets from Huff and Potter to make it 6-4 with 7:30 on the clock. Potter cut the lead to one late and despite Utah only shooting 35-percent in the first quarter, the Utes held strong defensively by forcing seven turnovers, heading into the second quarter only down 17-14.

The Utes outscored Oregon State 22-17 in the second quarter, taking its first lead of the game after Huff hit a huge three-pointer to start, followed by strong paint points from Tanaeya BoClair to make it 19-17 in Utah's favor. It was a back-and-forth scoring affair throughout the second quarter with seven ties and after Huff scored 10 of her 26 points in the period, the Utes went into halftime up 36-34.

The Beavers came out hot in the third quarter, hitting an immediate three-pointer to regain the lead, but the Utes didn't falter, scoring four unanswered points to take a 40-37 advantage. With 6:19 left in the quarter, Utah was up 44-39, but OSU was able to muster its 11-0 run, holding the Utes scoreless for the rest of the period to take a 50-44 lead heading into the fourth.

With 6:24 left to play in the game, Tilar Clark made it a two-point game on a steal and coast-to-coast bucket, but Oregon State had an answer again, going on a 6-1 run to make it 59-52 with 3:24 on the clock. Provo scored five straight points, including a huge three with 2:25 remaining to make it 59-57, but the Beavers put together a string of made baskets that forced the Utes to foul and eventually fall to the top-25 ranked foe.

"We have to be able to score from all five spots and be able to shoot the ball, but it is just one game," Roberts said. "We just have to stay the course. Oregon State is really good, they were in the Final Four two years ago. I think this one stings because we realize we are this close and it was a one possession game with two minutes to go and then we just couldn't convert. We will watch it and learn from it, but we have to move on and focus on a really good Oregon team on Sunday."

The Utes return to action on Sunday, Jan. 28 when they host No. 7 Oregon in the Jon M. Huntsman Center. The game is set for a 12 p.m. MT tip and will air on the Pac-12 Networks.