Utah’s first appearance at the Big 12 women’s basketball tournament ended up being a short one.
The No. 6 seed Utes struggled offensively in falling to No. 14 seed Texas Tech 75-64 during a second-round matchup at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City Thursday night.
3 takeaways
Utah couldn’t overcome a disastrous second quarter. The Utes found themselves leading 13-10 after one quarter and led by as many as six points in the first period.
The momentum turned swiftly in the second quarter, though.
Utah was outscored 21-10 in the second period, as the lower-seeded Red Raiders began to take over.
Texas Tech shot 61.5% from the field in the quarter, and that included four 3-pointers.
Utah, meanwhile, made just 29.4% of its shots and was 0 of 8 from 3-point range in the second, as it went into halftime trailing 31-23.
Gianna Kneepkens had an uncharacteristically tough night shooting. Utah’s leading scorer, Gianna Kneepkens, has been one of the country’s most efficient shooters this season.
In Thursday’s game, though, she had an abnormal night from the field, shooting 7 of 20 and 4 of 10 from 3-point range — but that included a couple late 3s and making 3 of 4 shots in the final two minutes to up that percentage.
Kneepkens made 5 of 7 from the free-throw line and ended with 23 points, but those hard-earned points were symbolic of a Utah team that shot 39.3% on the night.
Kneepkens did give Utah some hope, with her third 3-pointer of the night cutting the Utes’ deficit to six with a minute to play, but Texas Tech converted from the free-throw line in the final minute.
Texas Tech kept Utah from seriously challenging. The Red Raiders never trailed in the second half, and they led by as many as 14 to eliminate the Utes.
Texas Tech ended up shooting 48.9% and made two more 3-pointers than Utah (10 to eight), while also owning a 33-24 rebounding edge.
The Red Raiders were especially efficient at the free-throw line, making 19 of 22.
That included Texas Tech making a perfect 16 of 16 free throws in the fourth quarter, while Utah was 12 of 17 from the line, including 5 of 8 in the final period.
Bailey Maupin scored 22 points to lead Texas Tech, and that included going 11 of 11 from the free-throw line. She also had seven rebounds and six assists.
What’s next
With the loss, the Utes (22-8) will have to wait until Selection Sunday on March 16 to know when they’ll play again.
Utah, which came into the night No. 23 in the NCAA’s NET rankings, is a virtual lock to earn an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament.