Women's Basketball Falls 80-70 Against Colorado

Sunday, December 29

Salt Lake City, UT

2:00 PM

University of Utah

7-5,0-1Pac-12

Colorado

12-0,1-0Pac-12

Colorado

Utah

Women's Basketball Falls 80-70 Against Colorado

12/29/2019 5:04 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

SALT LAKE CITY – The University of Utah women's basketball team's rally fell short today against the Colorado Buffaloes to open Pac-12 play, falling 80-70. The Utes are 7-5 overall this season and 0-1 in conference play.

The Utes trailed by as many as 16 points early in the third quarter but would battle back to tie the game with 7:47 remaining the game. The tide started to turn for the Utes in the third quarter when they outscored the Buffaloes 28-19 with Dru Gylten knocking down eight of her 13 points in the period.

Utah was able to make it a three-point game to end the third quarter off back-to-back buckets from Julie Brosseau, eventually tying the game on a three-pointer from Kiana Moore at the 7:47 mark in the fourth. Despite the late surge by the Utes, seven turnovers in the fourth quarter would go on to plague Utah, keeping them from gaining offensive rhythm down the stretch with the Buffaloes pulling away late.

True freshman Lola Pendande reached 20 points for the second time in the last three games, finishing with 20 points on 81-percent shooting from the floor (9-of-11), also notching five rebounds, three steals and four blocks. Gylten was Utah's second leading scorer with a season-high 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting, adding a season-best nine assists.

STAT OF THE GAME
Pendande was outstanding from start to finish against the Buffaloes, going 9-of-11 from the floor (81%) and a perfect 2-for-2 from the free throw line. Pendande was a perfect 9-of-9 from the floor before missing her first shot of the game at the 7:54 mark in the fourth quarter.

Pendande entered the game ranked eighth nationally (2^nd in the Pac-12) in field goal percentage and is shooting 67-percent from the floor through today's game (68-of-101). The Almeria, Spain, native has only shot below 50-percent in one game this season.

TALKING ABOUT THE GAME: Head Coach Lynne Roberts
"I am proud of our fight. This was similar to the Providence game where we battled back and we had the momentum, and then we just couldn't score. We would get big stops and then turn it over, but I am proud of the fact that we are showing some fight. It is just frustrating to lose."

"We have got to get production from everybody. We didn't shoot well. I thought Lola was incredibly efficient and Dru did a great job shooting, but other than that we didn't shoot the ball consistently. So if we shoot for percentage like we have been doing, that's probably a different game."

"I think there are eight teams in the country that are undefeated and four of them are in our league. We are just so close. We just have to make sure that we keep our heads about us and maintain consistency. We just have to keep chopping wood with it. We just need to maintain – not lose our focus, not lose our vision. There is a lot of season left. It is going to be tough. We just have to keep fighting and keep getting better."

NOTABLE
- The pick-and-roll was in full force today for the Utes with five of Gylten's nine assists going to baskets for Pendande (10 of Pendande's 20 points).

- After not getting a block in the first two games of the season, Pendande has now gotten at least one block in 10 straight games. She has had two-or-more in four of the last five games (four today vs. Colorado), averaging 2.8 blocks per game in that five-game span.

- Utah shot 43-percent from the arc (7-of-17) today against Colorado, the 10^th time this season the Utes have knocked down seven-or-more from beyond the arc.

- Senior Kiana Moore played in her 99^th career game for the Utes today.

- Today was just the second time this season that true freshman Brynna Maxwell has been held to just one three-pointer. She has knocked down a team-high 34 three-pointers this season, which leads the Pac-12.

UP NEXT
The Utes will head to the Pacific Northwest for a pair of games, starting with the No. 3-ranked Oregon State Beavers. The game will take place in Corvallis, Ore. on Friday, Jan. 3 with an 8 p.m. MT tip on Pac-12 Mountain.