Maty Wilke delivered her own March Madness moment on the first day of the month — and in the process, she wrote herself into BYU-Utah lore.
Wilke banked in the game-winning shot from halfcourt as the buzzer rang Saturday afternoon at the Huntsman Center, lifting the Utes to an improbably thrilling 76-73 overtime victory over their rivals.
Teammate Kennady McQueen said the Utes, at the end of shootarounds on game day, play a game that involves hitting a halfcourt shot, “so lowkey, we practiced it.”
“As soon as it left her hands, I said that’s on line,” McQueen said, “and then it went in — just screaming, and it was awesome. Tackled her. It was awesome. What a fantastic ending.”
The latest chapter in the rivalry looked early on like the Utes would roll, as Utah stormed out to a 17-3 lead. Give BYU and fab freshman Delaney Gibb tons of credit, though, as the Cougars fought their way back into the game and very nearly pulled the upset.
At the end of both regulation and overtime, the Cougars had possession and a chance to win. The Cougars inbounded the ball with 18.6 seconds left in the extra session after two Gianna Kneepkens free throws tied the game at 73-73.
BYU put the ball in the hand of its best player, Gibb, and she drove into the lane but lost the ball with under five seconds to play.
At that point, it looked like a second overtime was inevitable. That’s where first-year Utah coach Gavin Petersen thought the game was headed.
Wilke had other plans.
She collected the ball in the paint off Gibb’s turnover with just over three seconds left, then raced upcourt and launched a shot from the middle of the interlocking Utah logo at midcourt.
Bank.
Swish.
Game.
“I mean, I don’t think you necessarily see a halfcourt shot going up and say, ‘Oh yeah, that’s in,” teammate Jenna Johnson said. “But, I mean, it looked good, so it was awesome to see it bank in, and (it was) just a super exciting moment out there.”
While it was Senior Day at the U., Wilke, a junior, delivered the signature shot of her Utah career — and one of the most iconic buckets in the storied history of the Huntsman.
“I was preparing for another overtime, and as soon as it left her hand, I’m like, ‘Ooh, that has a chance, and then it went in, and, you know, it sucks to lose that way,” Petersen said. “So I just kind of shook my head at the opposing coach, (BYU’s) Amber (Whiting), and just like, sometimes that’s the way it goes.
“But they fought hard. So did our team, and just so glad that ball went in, but I would have liked to think we would have won in double overtime, for sure.”
BYU (13-16, 4-14 Big 12), which led for just over a minute of game time total Saturday, kept fighting back from each Utah run. With 4:25 left in regulation, the Utes were ahead 57-48 and it looked like Utah (22-7, 13-5 Big 12) had done enough to weather the effort from its rival.
Gibb, though, drilled back-to-back 3-pointers as part of her career-high 36-point night, the Utes didn’t score for 3 ½ minutes and former Ute Kemery Congdon drilled a game-tying 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down with 59 seconds left to make it 57-57.
Following a timeout, Gibb then stole the inbounds pass and scored on a fastbreak layup, making it 59-57 Cougars for BYU’s first lead of the game.
It didn’t last long.
Maye Toure followed with two free throws to knot the game again, but BYU had an answer as Gibb found teammate Lauren Davenport open for a 3-pointer with 22.3 seconds left, and suddenly the Cougars had a game-high 62-59 lead.
Enter Utah’s usual hero, Kneepkens.
Though it had been a rough shooting night for the star junior guard, she nailed a 3-pointer off a screen just five seconds later to tie things again.
BYU had a chance to win in regulation and Gibb drove the lane before kicking the ball out. It ended up in Congdon’s hands, but she airballed a 3 attempt, and the game headed to overtime.
Neither team led by more than two points in the extra session, until Wilke’s winner.
Gibb, though, again came up with a huge shot for her final points, hitting a jumper with 35.7 seconds in overtime to push the Cougars ahead 73-71.
BYU had a chance to build on its lead, as Wilke missed a 3 on the ensuing possession, but Johnson battled for the game’s most critical offensive rebound.
She then passed to Kneepkens, who drew a foul. Kneepkens nailed both free throws to tie the game, setting up the wild final sequence.
“What a way to end that game for real. I was proud of my women for battling, really proud of them,” said BYU coach Amber Whiting. “But I mean, hats off to Utah. They brought it, too, and that’s what this game is supposed to be, is in this rivalry. I mean, it was entertaining, for sure.”
It was the kind of game tailor made for a Senior Day, as Utah won its fourth straight against BYU.
Toure, one of five seniors the Utes honored, scored nine of her team-high 24 points in the first quarter, helping Utah lead by as many as 14 points early before BYU closed the gap to 18-14 at the end of the first quarter.
Toure ended up with a double-double, adding 14 rebounds, two assists and a block.
Other seniors also came up big, none more than Johnson, who had 11 points, hit three 3-pointers and added six rebounds and three assists.
The fifth-year senior McQueen started the day off with a 3 for the Utes and scored four points to go with six rebounds and two assists, while senior point guard Ines Vieira added six points, five assists, three steals and a rebound before fouling out.
Then there was Kneepkens.
Though it’s unclear whether the junior will come back next season after spending four years at Utah, Kneepkens added 20 points, making up for a 4 of 14 day from the floor by hitting all 10 of her free-throw attempts.
That was just enough for the Utes to overcome that 36-point effort from Gibb, who looks like a shoe-in for Big 12 Freshman of the Year. She also had 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block, while making a game-high five 3-pointers.
“I mean, we give her the green light for a reason, and I love that,” Whiting said of her star freshman. “She’s a gamer.”
Congdon, who spent three years at Utah before transferring to Cal and ending her career this season at BYU, also scored 14 points and added four 3-pointers of her own.
Both teams delivered in a game that appeared might be short of theatrics. Utah was the decided favorite — and is locked into the No. 6 seed in next week’s Big 12 tournament — while the Cougars entered the game on a three-game losing streak and find themselves in the bottom quarter of the Big 12 standings.
Still, BYU gave the Utes everything they could handle. BYU outshot the Utes from the field, 39.1% to 35.5%, and hit one more 3-pointer.
Utah countered by making 23 of 27 from the free-throw line, compared to 9 of 11 from BYU. The rest of the stat sheet was pretty even all the way around, lending itself to what ended up being an unforgettable rivalry matchup.
It led to a fitting last hurrah for a Utah senior group that’s been to three straight NCAA tournaments — and is on track to make it four straight — in its final game at the Huntsman in front of their adoring home fans.
“What a senior night that all these players, not only our seniors, will never forget,” Petersen said. “You know, credit to (BYU). They just kept fighting, they put up a fight, as we knew they would.
“... It was just good that we kind of had that look in our eyes, like we have that resilience about us.”