3 keys to Utah’s second-round win over Princeton

The second-seeded Utah women’s basketball team held off a pesky Princeton team 63-56 Sunday in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The win gives Utah a trip to the Sweet 16 where it will play No. 3 LSU on March 24 in Greenville, South Carolina. 

Alissa Pili led all scorers with 28 points in the game, while Jenna Johnson added 15 for Utah. Kaitlyn Chen led Princeton with 19 points.

Here are 3 keys to Utah beating Princeton:

• Utah shot 28-37 from the free-throw line, which was a big boost to counter its 1-15 from 3-point range. Utah’s physicality was key to getting to the line that much.
• Princeton fired off 72 shots to Utah’s 43 in the game, a stat that was boosted by the Tigers’ strong effort on the offensive boards. But Utah outrebounded the Tigers 42-39 overall in the win. 
• Utah was resilient in its win against Princeton, which was anything but pretty. Despite being outscored in the second and third quarters, Utah did not give up its lead from midway through the first quarter and settled in over the final 10 minutes to win.  

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