Utah Women’s Basketball Has Strong Defensive Effort In Big Win Over Oregon State
Feb 24, 2022, 8:15 PM
Utah Utes forward Jenna Johnson (22) drives around Oregon State Beavers forward Ellie Mack (20) in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. (Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)
(Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY – The University of Utah women’s basketball team posted a strong defensive performance in their 70-58 win over Oregon State on Thursday night.
It was a “must win game” for both teams entering Thursday evening at the Huntsman Center but the Utah women’s basketball team didn’t feel the pressure against Oregon State.
It was the first game of a doubleheader at the Huntsman Center with the men playing at 9 p.m. MT against Arizona.
Brynna Maxwell and Jenna Johnson led the Utes with 12 points apiece. Kennady McQueen chipped in 10 points as the Utes shot 40% from the field.
THATS A DUB ‼️
Utah, 70. Oregon State, 58. #GoUtes pic.twitter.com/EehAArqpx3
— Utah Basketball (@UTAHWBB) February 25, 2022
Utah Gets Much-Needed Win Over Oregon State
The first quarter was all Utah as they had great ball movement that led to easy shots on offense and very solid defense. They held Oregon State to just 27% from the field.
The Utes were up 21-12 at the end of the first quarter. Kennady McQueen and Dru Gylten each had five points in the first 10 minutes of the game.
The second quarter was a little closer as Utah outscored OSU 20-18 and had a 41-30 halftime lead. Brynna Maxwell had 10 points to lead the Utes off the bench. Kennady McQueen added eight points. Utah shot 47% from the field. Oregon State was held to 33% shooting.
Utah had a struggle finding the basket on offense in the third quarter as they went scoreless in the final two minutes but had a 57-46 lead entering the fourth quarter. The Utes shot just 25% from the field in the quarter, including 2-of-9 from the three-point line.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Utah went on a 7-0 run and had a 66-48 lead, which basically put the game out of reach.
Utah improved their record to 17-9 overall and 8-6 in Pac-12 play. They will wrap up the regular season on Senior Day on Saturday, February 26 against Oregon at 1 p.m. MT on Pac-12 Oregon.
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.
