Women's Basketball Wins 75-67 Over Washington State

Sunday, February 24

Salt Lake City, UT

12:00 PM

University of Utah

Washington State

Washington St.

Utah

Photo by: Steve C. Wilson

Women's Basketball Wins 75-67 Over Washington State

2/24/2019 3:06 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

SALT LAKE CITY – The University of Utah came away with a key 75-67 win over Washington State on Senior Day today, improving to 20-7 overall and 9-7 in Pac-12 play.

The Utes earned their first 20-win season under the direction of head coach Lynne Roberts with their strong victory over the Cougars today, also earning their ninth conference win for the most Pac-12 wins in school history. Utah's 20^thwin came on Senior Day as the Utes honored Megan Huff, Daneesha Provo, Sarah Porter and Erika Bean.

Utah was led in scoring by junior Kiana Moore, who knocked down a career-high 26 points, shooting 8-of-13 from the floor and a career-best 6-of-9 from the arc. Huff also put up 25 points and 12 rebounds for her 16^thdouble-double of the year.

Bean was critical on both ends of the court with eight rebounds and eight assists with Dru Gylten contributing seven points and eight assists. In her first start of the season, Andrea Torres also chipped in seven points and four rebounds with five of her seven points coming at a key moment in the fourth quarter.

The Utes were holding just a one-point lead with 3:16 remaining in the game, but Torres knocked down five unanswered points, including a shot clock beating three at the 1:25 mark to give Utah a six-point cushion. Utah's composure came in handy down the stretch with Huff and Moore combining for four points to give the Utes its 75-67 win.

"Washington State did a nice job and they have some potent scorers," Roberts said. "We shot the ball well though and I am so proud of our team. Huff was great down the stretch and hit some key basketball and Kiana Moore shot the ball great. We got our 20^thwin and I couldn't be prouder of this team and the resiliency that they have shown."

Moore's career-day started early in the game as she scored eight of Utah's first 12 points, giving the Utes a 12-9 lead with 2:55 remaining in the first quarter. It was a close quarter with two lead changes and four ties as the Utes took a two-point lead into the second quarter after shooting 41-percent from the floor.

Washington State was able to out-score the Utes in the second quarter, but Utah showed some grit, staying in it despite only shooting 35-percent from the field. The Cougars were able to take a five-point lead late in the quarter, but the Utes went 3-for-3 on their next three possessions, including a huge three-pointer from Gylten to send the game into halftime all tied up at 33-33.

Moore was held scoreless in the second quarter, but came out firing in the third, scoring Utah's first eight points against to give the Utes a 41-39 lead with 6:32 on the clock. She ended up scoring 13 points in the third, putting the Utes up by seven heading into the final quarter of the game.

Washington State once again made a run at the Utes, making it a two-point game with 5:45 on the clock, but Niyah Becker scored a key bucket off the bench to give Utah a two-possession lead. With 3:16 remaining, the Cougars cut the Utah lead to 66-65, but Torres took control of the next two possessions, scoring back-to-back buckets that included the shot clock buzzer beating three to give Utah a 71-65 advantage with 1:25 left to play.

Washington State would go on to score a layup with 1:04 on the clock to cut it to four, but Huff scored on Utah's next offensive possession and Moore hit two free throws with 14 seconds left to give Utah the eight-point victory.

Utah will return to action for its final regular season games of the year when they travel to Los Angeles to take on UCLA and USC. The Utes get started at Pauley Pavilion against the Bruins on Friday, March 1 at 8 p.m. MT.