Utah loses to Indiana in first round of NCAA women’s tournament: 3 takeaways

Kneepkens, Touré have big efforts but game turns in third quarter

Mar 21, 2025; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; Utah Utes forward Maye Toure (21) looks to shoot over Indiana Hoosiers forward Karoline Striplin (11) in the second half at Colonial Life Arena. / Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

The Utah Utes’ string of first-round victories in the Women’s NCAA Tournament ended at three when they couldn’t hang in with the Indiana Hoosiers in the second half and lost 76-68 on Friday in Columbia, S.C.

It was an unceremonious end for the No. 8 seed Utes (22-9), who looked strong in the first 15 minutes but then started fading in the final few minutes of the second quarter. The No. 9 seed Hoosiers (20-12) grabbed control by outsourcing Utah 27-16 in the third quarter.

Senior guard Gianna Kneepkens scored a game-high 24 points and graduate forward Mayé Touré had 18 points and 11 rebounds. Kennady McQueen finished just under her average with nine points. 

The Hoosiers (20-12) were well-balanced with five players in double figures, led by Yarden Garzon with 17 points.

The Hoosiers shot a lights-out 58% from the floor (29 of 50) while the Utes struggled in making just 43.3% of their shots (26 of 60). The Utes made only 9 of 32 3-point shots (28.1%). They came in averaging 36.8% from behind the arc.

The Hoosiers move on to face defending national champion and No. 1 seed South Carolina, which was routing No. 16 Tennessee Tech 60-27 at halftime. 

Here are three takeaways from the Utes’ loss in the first round of March Madness.

Painful ending

The Utes fell behind 62-49 with more than seven minutes to play on a layup by Garzon but then started showing signs of life. Kneepkens hit a 3-pointer, was fouled and converted a 4-point play to make it 62-53. McQueen made it a 7-0 run when she hit a 3-pointer and suddenly it was just a six-point game with more than 5 ½ minutes left.

But every time the Utes made a run, the Hoosiers would counter. 

The Utes twice pulled within four points, first at 68-64 on Jenna Johnson’s 3-pointer with 2:35 left and then at 72-68 on Kneepkens’ 3-ball with 1:05 to play. But the Hoosiers would counter with midrange jumpers and finally free throws. Johnson and Kneepkens each missed a 3-pointer in the final frustrating seconds as the season slipped away.

The turning point

After 13 lead changes, the game was tied at 31 at halftime. 

Kneepkens made two 3-pointers early in the third quarter for a 36-33 lead. But the Hoosiers then took control with a 9-0 run that gave them the lead for good. The Utes went cold and the Hoosiers dominated with points in the paint, allowing them to extend the run to 15-3 that gave them a 48-39 lead. 

Utah missed six straight shots and had two turnovers during the decisive stretch.

Season recap

The Utes were making their fourth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the second time in school history they achieved that feat. 

They finished 13-5 in their first season in the Big 12 before absorbing a disappointing 11-point loss to No. 14 seed Texas Tech in the conference tournament. The Utes lost four of their last six games. 

The season highlight was a 78-67 win against then-No. 3 Notre Dame in the Cayman Island Classic on Nov. 30.

Gavin Petersen was elevated to head coach on Nov. 19, four games into the season, after  Lynne Roberts jumped to the LA Sparks of the WNBA.

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