SPOKANE, Washington — For the second time in three years, Utah’s season came to an end in the Round of 32 in the women’s NCAA Tournament.
This time, the No. 5 seed Utes fell 77-66 to host No. 4 seed Gonzaga at the McCarthey Athletic Center late Monday night.
3 takeaways
Key stretch: After Utah took a game-high seven-point lead at 26-19 less than a minute into the second quarter, the Zags went on a 22-3 run to break the game open.
That gave the Bulldogs a 41-31 halftime lead, as they shot 9 of 12 (75%) in the second quarter while Utah was 3 of 12 (25%) and missed all but one of its 3-point attempts in the quarter.
Gonzaga led by as many as 21 points in the second half in earning the victory.
Top performers: Kayleigh Truong scored a team-high 21 points, including three 3-pointers, while adding seven rebounds and two assists. Yvonne Ejim had a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Alissa Pili, in her final game as a Ute, scored a game-high 35 points while shooting 12 of 30 and making four 3-pointers and hitting all seven of her free throws. She also had seven rebounds.
Kennady McQueen (12 points) and Dasia Young (11) also scored in double-figures for the Utes.
Key stat: The biggest stat of the game was 3-point shooting, which went distinctly in Gonzaga’s favor, even after Utah made 5 of 10 in the first quarter.
At one point, the Zags made nine straight as they built their insurmountable lead and finished 12 of 22 on the night.
Utah, meanwhile, made just 9 of 34 3-pointers and 4 of 24 over the final three quarters.
What’s next?
The loss ends the Utes’ season with a 23-11 record after their third straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
Gonzaga (32-3), meanwhile, moves on to the Sweet 16 for the first time since the 2014-15 season, where the Zags will face No. 1 seed Texas on Friday in Portland.