Dasia Young’s buzzer-beater lifts No. 22 Utes to another exciting Pac-12 win over No. 8 Colorado

The Utah women’s basketball team has learned it can’t always rely on Alissa Pili if it hopes to claim a second straight Pac-12 Conference crown.

Pili has had her special moments, but Dasia Young grabbed the spotlight Friday night. After missing four games due to injury, Young scored the game-winning basket as time ran out to lift the Utes to a 77-76 win over eighth-ranked Colorado in front of nearly 6,000 screaming fans at the Jon M. Huntsman Center.

The shot helped the Utes forget they had blown an 18-point second-half lead and the margin was still 10 points with five minutes left. With the win, Utah improved to 19-7 overall and 9-5 in league. The 22nd-ranked team is in sixth place with four contests remaining and will likely have to win all of them to even have a chance to overtake first-place Stanford.

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“What a game,” said coach Lynne Roberts afterward. “What a way for Dasia to come back. Safe to say, we need her. She just brings us an edge and toughness.” 

On the same day Colorado was predicted by ESPN to land one of the four top seeds in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, the Utes reminded everyone that they shouldn’t be forgotten. Pili, last year’s league MVP, led Utah with 18 points, while Ines Vieira had 15, Jenna Johnson 14 and Young 13.

Utah led almost the entire game, but Colorado (20-5, 10-4) rallied behind guards Jaylyn Sherrod and Frida Formann and physical full-court pressure to cut into the lead. When Forman stole the ball from Vieira and scored on a layup with 22 seconds left, the Buffs went ahead for the first time, 74-73.

Utah, however, didn’t fold. Vieira was fouled three seconds later and, despite being a 66.7 percent free-throw shooter, she calmly made both shots. Colorado still had the momentum and scored again with eight seconds left, setting up the dramatic final play.

“They (the Buffs) were super aggressive and the refs were letting us play,” said Roberts. “I didn’t want to call time out because we had had such a hard time executing. It was great to see Dasia do it and get dogpiled.”

Maty Wilke got the ball across midcourt, and passed the ball to Viera, who found Young open near the three-point line with four seconds left. Young wasn’t open, so she dribbled by her defender and then found CU’s athletic 6-foot-3 center in her way. She picked up her dribble, moved around her and lofted the ball toward the basket. 

It bounced softly on the back iron, then fell through the hoop and the Huntsman Center erupted.

Young’s basket was the only Utah field goal in the final five minutes.

”Forget about the turnover that just happened or the mess-up you just had, it’s what’s next,” Young said. “You can’t keep reflecting on the past and let your confidence waver.

”I didn’t want to overthink or look for anybody else to do it,” she added.  “I just wanted the play in my hands and if we lost, it would be on me and I was OK with that.”

While Young was swarmed by her teammates, game officials reviewed the play and determined she let go of the ball in time. The celebration didn’t end, however, as Young was doused by water poured by her adoring teammates as she was interviewed on the Pac-12 television network.

The victory avenged a 76-65 loss to the Buffs in Boulder in the Pac-12 opener – a game the Utes led by eight points in the fourth quarter. Roberts said she remains positive about her team’s chances since they have won eight of their last 10 games — against mostly Top 10 teams — and are back to nearly full strength, except for junior Gianna Kneepkens, who is out for the season.