The University of Utah women's basketball team thought this would be the breakthrough year. The Utes, after six losses in six NCAA Tournament first-round games, were pitted against a Southern Mississippi team they felt was beatable - especially on a neutral court.
But, as has so often been the case for the Utes in the NCAAs, the ball wouldn't go through the hoop. The Golden Eagles jumped out to an early lead and withstood a second-half Ute rally to win, 74-66.Perhaps the eighth NCAA try will be the charm for Utah.
"We knew we needed to shoot the ball well to win and we didn't," said Ute coach Elaine Elliott. "We had nice looks at the basket, but we couldn't get the ball to drop . . . I wish I had the answer to why that happens."
Utah's all-WAC sophomore sharpshooter Julie Krommenhoek, who was hounded defensively by conference rivals all season, had more open shots than she'd seen in months. Krommenhoek made the Eagles pay by scoring a game-high 26 points, but she was only 4-for-16 from 3-point range - where she was a 40 percent shooter for the year.
"(Krommenhoek) was open all night for shots she usually hits," Elliott said. "She was probably just surprised to see how open she was."
Said Krommenhoek, "It was just one of those days for me."
It was one of those days for most of the Utes - especially in the first half.
The game was tied 12-12 when Southern Mississippi took control. The Golden Eagles, led by senior guard Patricia Nash, went on a 14-2 run to build a 26-14 advantage with four minutes to play in the half.
Utah's game plan had been to get the ball into 6-4 center Amber McEwen's hands as much as possible, but McEwen, the WAC's player of the year, hadn't even scored 14 minutes into the contest.At the half, Southern Mississippi held a 35-25 lead. Utah made only 32 percent of its shots prior to intermission and was being dominated on the boards, 30-14.
"We basically took control of the game in the first few minutes," said Southern Mississippi forward Brandy Reed.
Utah's woes continued early in the second half as the Eagles opened up a 19-point lead with 16 minutes to play. Krommenhoek, McEwen and senior point guard Richelle Cleverley scored big buckets as the Utes pulled to within seven, 59-52, with 5:30 to play. Utah would get no closer, however.
Cleverley, who filled in nicely all season in place of injured starter Alli Bills, had perhaps her best game of the year. She scored 11 points, was 3-for-4 on 3-pointers and dished out 11 assists while turning the ball over just four times against the athletic Eagles who used a full-court press for much of the game. McEwen had 16 points and 11 rebounds in her final outing as a Ute.
Southern Miss was led by Nash, who was 6-for-9 from 3-point range and had a team-high 24 points. Reed added 21 points and 11 boards.
While the season ended on a down note, Elliott was pleased with her team's 21-8 campaign.
"I don't want this (loss) to take away from this team's accomplishments," said Elliott. "We won the WAC championship because every member of the team did her part and was unselfish."