No. 18 Utah turns focus to postseason after falling flat in loss to Washington

No. 18 Utah looked like anything but itself on Saturday afternoon at the Huntsman Center.

The Utes came out slow, missed shots all day — even the gimmes — and weren’t able to successfully string together enough of a fight in losing 62-47 to Washington in their regular-season finale.

The loss ensured that the Utes will now have to play in the first round of next week’s Pac-12 tournament.

“We were out of rhythm the whole day and sometimes that happens,” Utah coach Lynne Roberts said. “This occurred at UCLA as well but we can’t do that anymore. We are guaranteed two more games, but I still believe in this group.”

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It’s a disheartening end to what’s been a regular season full of excitement — think four wins over top 10 teams, including three on the same court where the Utes played Saturday — and struggles — among them a list of injuries that’s forced Roberts’ team to adjust often.

On Saturday, it simply wasn’t the Utes’ day in an arena where Utah is typically dominant.

The Utes shot 31.5% from the field, 17% under their average, and never led as Washington dictated the pace and weathered every attempt by Utah to get back into the contest.

Outside of 17 points from Maty Wilke, it was a rough outing offensively for the Utes.

Wilke, at 6 of 11, was the only Utah player to shoot over 50% from the field. Other starters such as Alissa Pili (1 of 9 from the field), Kennady McQueen (3 of 9) and Ines Vieira (4 of 13) just couldn’t find their touch in the regular-season finale where seniors Pili, Dasia Young and Issy Palmer were honored postgame.

The Utes briefly got a raucous Huntsman crowd believing they could rally in the third quarter, when the home team used a quick 8-0 spurt to pull within nine.

But Washington, as it did throughout the afternoon, had an answer and pushed that lead back to 12 by the end of the quarter and as high as 19 in the fourth.

The Huskies were led by Lauren Schwartz, who had 18 points, four rebounds and four assists to pace four Washington players in double-figures.

Sayvia Sellers tossed in 13 points, three rebounds and three assists, and she, like Schwartz, made three 3-pointers.

“I want to congratulate Washington. I thought they were phenomenal today” Roberts said. “They seemed to just be quicker to everything, defensively and offensively. They really came in prepared and ready to win.”

The tone was set early in this one, as Washington, which shot 50.9% from the floor, quickly built an 11-6 lead on the back of a trio of early 3-pointers. The Huskies made 7 of 13 3s on the day, while Utah was just 5 of 27.

Still, the Utes stuck around and managed to make it 17-16 through one quarter after McQueen and Wilke hit 3-pointers late in the period.

A five-point second quarter, though, where Utah shot just 2 of 15 was characteristic of how it just wasn’t the Utes’ day.

Utah also had 14 turnovers, which led to the Huskies owning a 13-5 advantage in points off turnovers.

“We didn’t play well. It has been a pattern all season of playing really well and then playing poorly,” Roberts said. “We just haven’t figured out that consistency yet. We missed the first couple of shots early on and then we got tight, we had uncharacteristic shooting from the field today.”

Roberts shared her appreciation for the crowds her team has seen throughout the season, including on Saturday, as the fans continued to show their support time and again no matter the score.

“They were trying so hard to get us going today, but that’s what a good home crowd does. This is a hard place to win,” Roberts said. “It’s not just people in the seats. They’re engaged, they’re loud and you know, that’s why it’s disappointing to not give them a better game today.”

Now, Utah will prepare for the postseason, with the first destination being next week’s Pac-12 tournament, which will take place at MGM Grand Garden Arena, with the first round on March 6, quarterfinals on March 7, semifinals on March 8 and championship on March 10.

The Utes will be the No. 6 seed in Las Vegas and will play No. 11 Arizona State in the first round. The game will tip at 9:30 p.m. MST on Pac-12 Network next Wednesday.

Despite the loss, Utah is still united in its common goal of finishing the season strong, something it has shown on numerous occasions this season it is capable of.

“When we compete and play together, we’re unbeatable. We play hard all the time, but there’s a different level of playing hard and competing to win, and Washington, I think, made all those plays,” Wilke said.

“Going down the stretch it doesn’t matter, everyone is playing. You win and go on, you lose you go home. It doesn’t matter what anyone’s record.”