Utah Drops Road Contest To Washington State After Poor First Quarter
Feb 21, 2021, 3:28 PM
Utah Utes guard Kemery Martin (15) drives to the basket during a women's Pac-12 college basketball game between the Utah Utes and the Washington Huskies on February 19, 2021 at Hec Edmundson Pavilion in Seattle, WA. (Photo by Jeff Halstead/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Photo by Jeff Halstead/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah women’s basketball team couldn’t overcome a poor first quarter on the defensive end in their 68-55 loss to Washington State.
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Utah was outscored by Washington State 26-14 in the first quarter. Besides that quarter, the Utes were never outscored by more than three points. The Cougars had a great first quarter offensively, shooting 8-of-15 from the field and 4-for-7 from the three-point line. On the other hand, Utah made 46 percent of their shots in the first quarter and two triples.
“Not the outcome we ever want. Washington State is a really good team with the NCAA Tournament in their sights,” Utah head coach Lynne Roberts said after the game. “We had a lousy first quarter, which continues to be our Achilles heel. I thought we did a solid job of fighting back and competing the other three quarters though. We just need to continue to fix our starts.”
For the game, Peyton McFarland led the Utes with 14 points and 6 rebounds. Kemery Martin added 13 points, 6 boards and 3 assists. Kelsey Rees contributed 10 points and 6 boards. Brynna Maxwell struggled offensively, finishing with just 6 points on 2-of-7 shooting from the floor.
Washington State was led by Charlisse Leger-Walker with 22 points. Bella Murekatete chipped in 12 points and Johanna Teder scored 11.
Final Score: WSU 68, Utah 55
Up next for the Utes, Senior Day on Sunday, Feb. 28 in the Jon M. Huntsman Center against Colorado. 12 p.m. MT tip on Pac-12 Networks. #GoUtes // #Elevate pic.twitter.com/UTB4AGjMjs
— Utah Women's Basketball (@UTAHWBB) February 21, 2021
For the game, Utah shot 39 percent (20-51) from the field, 33 percent (5-15) from beyond the arc and 71 percent (10-14) from the free throw line. Washington State made 42 percent (24-57) from the floor, 40 percent (10-25) from the perimeter and 83 percent (10-12) at the foul line.
Utah dropped their record to 5-15 overall and 4-15 in Pac-12 play. They will play their final game of the regular season on Sunday, February 28 at 12 p.m. MST on the Pac-12 Networks.
Trevor Allen is a Utah Utes Insider for KSLSports.com and host of the Crimson Corner podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @TrevorASports. You can download and listen to the podcast, here.
