Hot First Half Shooting Sends Utah Women’s Hoops To Pac-12 Tournament Semifinals
Mar 3, 2022, 11:21 PM
(Photo courtesy of Nick Grace, Utah Athletics)
(Photo courtesy of Nick Grace, Utah Athletics)
SALT LAKE CITY – The University of Utah women’s basketball team is heading to the semifinals of the Pac-12 Tournament after a 70-59 win over Washington State.
Coming into the Pac-12 Tournament, Utah is a 6-seed, while Washington State is a 3-seed.
The Utes will advance to the semifinals of the Pac-12 Tournament for the first time since joining the conference in 2011.
Jenna Johnson led the way with 19 points. Brynna Maxwell chipped in 11 points, while Isabel Palmer added 10 points.
For the first time in Pac-12 Tournament history…
𝐖𝐄'𝐑𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐒.#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/MWm06REXgA
— Utah Women’s Basketball (@UTAHWBB) March 4, 2022
Utah Gets Hot In First Half From Downtown To Get Win Over Washington State
The first four minutes of the game was a back-and-forth affair before Utah ended the opening period on a 15-0 run. That impressive run gave the Utes a 29-13 lead after one. They set a Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Tournament record for most points in a quarter.
Jenna Johnson had 10 points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting from the field. Johnson, Kennady McQueen, Brynna Maxwell and Isabel Palmer all hit a three-pointer. Early in the second quarter, Peyton McFarland went down with a right knee injury and did not return to the game. That tested Lynne Roberts’ depth in the post.
In the second quarter, the threes kept going as they hit four more in the period. Utah ended the first half on a 7-0 run and held a 45-25 lead at the break after shooting 8-of-13 from downtown. Jenna Johnson finished the first half with 13 points. Kennady McQueen dropped eight points, while Kelsey Rees and Isabel Palmer each scoring six points.
The Utes cooled off in the third quarter but Washington State couldn’t capitalize as they only outscored Utah 16-14. Utah had a 59-41 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
With the game out of hand, Washington State went on a 12-0 run late in the fourth quarter.
Utah will move on to the semifinals and will face the Oregon Ducks on Friday, March 4 at 9:30 p.m. MT on the Pac-12 Networks.
Trevor Allen is a Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com, Co-Host of Faith, Family and Football podcast with Clark Phillips III and host of the Crimson Corner podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @TrevorASports.
