On March 18, the University of Utah played its last game of the season, losing to Eastern Kentucky 72-58 in the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament (WBIT). Through the first quarter, Utah led 19-13, with senior guard Lani White scoring 11 points, hitting three 3-pointers.
Eastern Kentucky was able to take back some momentum, outscoring the Utes 16-15 in the second quarter. Utah’s offense slowed down, but they were still able to maintain control and the pacing of the game. White finished the first half with 17 points, exactly half of Utah’s total 34. Junior forward Chyra Evans and senior guard Maty Wilke both chipped in with six points apiece. Those three Utes combined to score 29/34 first half points.
Third quarter collapse
Like many games this season, for whatever reason, Utah began unraveling in the third quarter. Evans had four quick points as the Utes started off the quarter in control, and the Utes went up eight points, briefly. With about four and a half minutes left in the quarter, Eastern Kentucky went on a 16-3 scoring run and completely flipped the momentum and feel of the game. In the blink of an eye, Utah went from an eight-point lead to a five-point deficit at the start of the fourth. Utah only scored 12 total points in the quarter to EKU’s 22.
“I could never put my finger on it this season, but we would have a very nice lead and we’d stop doing the things that got us that lead,” Utah assistant coach Ryan Larsen said in a postgame radio interview. “And that lead would shrink, and we’d have to go back to pressing a little bit and getting back to, again, the things that we did to get that lead.”
Despite the collapse, Utah still had a chance to buckle down and win the game in the fourth quarter. Alas, that did not happen as Utah lost all confidence and momentum, again only scoring 12 points in the quarter. Eastern Kentucky cruised to a 72-58 win, outscoring the Utes 43-24 in the second half.
Analysis
White led the way with 19 points, and Evans picked up a big double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Junior forward Reese Ross had a big day on the board as well with 11 rebounds, although she was quiet in the score column. Utah as a team shot poorly from three, only converting 5/20, or 25 percent.
Another blown lead left Ute fans and coaches disappointed and confused once again. The team showed flashes all season, beating ranked TCU and ranked West Virginia, but was unable to maintain consistent success thanks to streaky shooting and uncertainty of how to play with a lead. This season, Utah would take a lead and take their foot off the gas, start playing less aggressively, which allowed opposing teams the grace and space to come back.
“It’s a good season. You know, it really was. This is obviously disappointing. The last couple of games have been disappointing,” Larsen said. “But I’ll go back to what I said at the beginning of the interview: we had a lot of games where we had leads, and we gave it up, and I can’t quite put my finger on that.”
What’s next?
Seniors White, Wilke, Alyssa Blanck and Samantha Crispe all graduate after this year and have played their last game for the Utes. This is a young team, and players like Ross, Evans, LA Sneed and Avery Hjelmstad will be asked to step up and lead. The Utes, I expect, will also be actively recruiting players in the transfer portal in the coming weeks, as there are several holes to fill on the roster. Additionally, expect outgoing transfers from the Utes, as inevitably, there will be a few. All in all, there will be significant roster turnover, and I am very intrigued to see what the roster looks like at the start of next season.