Utah Women’s Basketball Sees Winning Streak Ended In 68-64 Loss To Oklahoma State
Feb 18, 2025, 9:17 PM | Updated: Feb 19, 2025, 10:16 am
SALT LAKE CITY – In a pivotal matchup in the Big 12 women’s basketball race, Utah was unable to get into gear and fell to No. 24 Oklahoma State, 68-64.
Gavin Peterson and the Utes fall to 20-6 overall and 11-4 in conference play.
The Utes struggled on the offensive end to create quality scoring opportunities. They also failed to clean the glass as the Cowgirls outrebounded Utah by 16 tonight.
Utah vs Oklahoma State
It was a quick start for Oklahoma State, who jumped out to a 6-0 lead before Maye Toure scored the first bucket for Utah two minutes into the game.
Toure added another jump hook on the next possession; from there, it was a good back-and-forth. Utah would eventually claim a 13-11 lead before taking a 19-16 lead to the bench after the first quarter. Reese Ross provided an instant spark off the bench, as she scored a quick 5 points in her first couple of minutes on the floor.
The Utes would build a six-point cushion halfway through the second period. However, the Cowgirls fought back and eventually took a 32-30 lead. They continued to hit the glass, hauling in 11 offensive rebounds and scoring 11 second-chance points.
However, Utah would close out the half on a 9-3 run to take a 39-35 advantage into the locker room.
Utah started the second half slowly, similar to the first. They opened the half 1-of-5 with a turnover but managed to preserve their lead before they found their rhythm.
The Utes would go on a 7-0 run with Kneepkens, McQueen, and Sam Crispe each scoring a bucket that built a 48-39 lead. The Cowgirls held tough, but Utah took a 56-50 lead into the final quarter thanks to a pair of 3-pointers from Johnson and Vieira.
In the opening two minutes of the 4th, though, the Cowgirls stormed back to tie it up 56-56. The two teams would exchange baskets for most of the period.
Then Oklahoma State finished the game on a 7-2 run over the final two minutes to secure the win.
The offense never got into gear
This was a very different game than the previous seven. The offense never found a rhythm and the Utes struggled, particularly from the 3-point range.
They finished the game 5-of-23 from deep, and 25-of-57 from the field. They also failed to convert efficiently enough at the free throw line, making just 56% of the freebies.
The Utes had just one player in double-figures, Kneepkens with 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting. Overall, Utah just couldn’t generate very many good scoring opportunities
The Cowgirls worked the glass
Oklahoma State was dominant on the glass. Utah was rarely able to secure the rebounds they needed to finish their defensive stops.
The Cowgirls finished the game with 20 offensive rebounds, which resulted in 18 second-chance points.
