Going into Sunday’s game between the Utah Utes and Princeton Tigers, Utah was 15th in the entire country in 3-pointers made, averaging 8.5 per game.
The 3-point shot has been one of Utah’s main strengths all season, the way they dominated opponents and created a fun style of play.
But against the Tigers, they made just one. That’s right — one. It was their lowest 3-point output of the entire season. The previous low was three against Ole Miss last November.
Somehow, though, the Utes escaped the Tigers’ claws and advanced to the Sweet 16 behind a 63-56 win at the Huntsman Center in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Alissa Pili led the Utes with 28 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. Jenna Johnson added 15 points and six rebounds.
Utah shot just 1-of-15 from the 3-point line. Princeton does have the reputation of holding opponents to under 30% shooting from the outside, but many of the shots the Utes missed were open.
The lack of 3s was just one way the Utes didn’t play like themselves. They turned the ball over 20 times. They gave up 18 offensive rebounds, nine of which came in the third quarter.
Both teams played at a breakneck pace for the entire first quarter, which plays to Utah’s strength. The Utes shot poorly from the outside in that frame, with the only 3-pointer belonging to Pili. That shot, though, gave the Utes a 20-10 lead. Meanwhile, they made all their 2-point shots.
The tail end of the second quarter was a tough one for the Utes, who committed three turnovers in the last two minutes and didn’t make a shot for more than four minutes. It looked like Utah had a nine-point lead at halftime, but Kennady McQueen’s 3-pointer to beat the shot clock earlier in the second quarter was deemed too late.
Utah played a poor third quarter and led by only four entering the fourth. The Tigers their deficit to two early in the final frame, but the Utes capitalized on free throw opportunities down the stretch.
This story will be updated.
from The Salt Lake Tribune https://ift.tt/CUnjr8e
إرسال تعليق