Utah Women’s Basketball Falls To Stanford In Pac-12 Title Game After Fourth Quarter Struggles
Mar 6, 2022, 5:57 PM
(Photo courtesy of the Pac-12 Conference)
(Photo courtesy of the Pac-12 Conference)
SALT LAKE CITY – The University of Utah women’s basketball team struggled offensively in the second half, falling to Stanford 73-48 in the Pac-12 title game.
Utah trailed by just two points at the half but Stanford outscored the Utes 41-18 in the second half to claim their 15th Pac-12 title.
Brynna Maxwell scored 16 points off the bench to lead the Utes. Kelsey Rees had eight points and 10 rebounds. Haley Jones led Stanford with 19 points, six rebounds and four assists. Cameron Brink dropped 16 points, while Lexie Hull added 15 points.
Final from Michelob Ultra Arena.@UTAHWBB's pursuit of their first Pac-12 Women's Tournament title comes up short in a 73-48 loss to No. 2 @StanfordWBB. The Cardinal finished the game on a 21-3 run to blow it wide open#KSLVegasMayhem #GoUtes #Pac12WBB #Pac12Tournament pic.twitter.com/14xK8xtzxA
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 7, 2022
Utah Nearly Even With Stanford In First Half After Strong Second Quarter
Dru Gylten knocked down a three-pointer early in the game to give Utah a 3-2 advantage. They went scoreless for nearly three minutes after that and the Cardinal went on a 6-0 run. Brynna Maxwell entered the game and knocked down a three-pointer. That helped her reach 1,000 career points, becoming the 30th Utah women’s basketball player to join the 1,000-point club.
The Utes went scoreless for another three minutes before Maxwell hit a jumper with two seconds left in the first quarter. Stanford had a 21-11 lead after one after shooting 9-of-18 from the field. The Utes were just 4-of-12 from the floor.
When things weren’t looking great for Utah, they responded with an 8-0 run and was within three midway through the second quarter. Utah outscored Stanford 19-11 in the second quarter with the Cardinal holding a 32-30 lead at the half.
Dasia Young scored all nine of her points in the second quarter, including two triples to help Utah climb back in to the game. Pac-12 Player of the Year Haley Jones led Stanford with 13 points in the first half.
Utah was 6-for-8 from the field and 4-of-5 from beyond the arc in the second quarter. Stanford was just 5-of-15 shooting, including 1-for-6 from three.
Utah Struggles In Second Half In Loss To Stanford
The momentum from the end of the second quarter didn’t carry to the third quarter as Stanford outscored the Utes 20-13. Utah shot just 5-of-18 from the field and 2-for-7 from downtown.
The fourth quarter wasn’t much better as the Cardinal went on a 21-5 run that broke the game wide open. Utah had a hard time making a bucket in the fourth, shooting 2-of-15 from the field and 0-for-6 from beyond the arc.
Utah will go to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011. The Women’s Basketball Selection Show will be on Sunday, March 13 at 6 p.m. MT on ESPN.
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.
