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Utah Women's Basketball defeats UCLA on the road for first time since 2000

Despite trailing early on, the Utes rallied in the second to defeat the UCLA Bruins 75-70.

Tessa Bagley

Utah Women's Basketball defeats UCLA on the road for first time since 2000
Utah Women's Basketball defeats UCLA on the road for first time since 2000 /
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In what turned out to be a nail biter, the University of Utah women's basketball team defeated UCLA 75-70 on the road for the first time since 2000.

The Utes took an early lead in the first quarter, as Kennedy McQueen hit a three-pointer right out of the gate. With 6:43 left in the first, the Bruins stole the lead with 12-7 on the scoreboard. Unphased, freshman Gianna Kneepkens put Utah ahead 14-13. The quarter then finished with the teams trading buckets, resulting in a one-point advantage for the Bruins.

The battle continued into the second after Jenna Johnson scored four points to tie the game at 21. However the Bruins took a strong lead, going on a 10-3 run to secure a seven-point advantage. The Utes responded as Kneepkens was able to splash home three more points, bringing the score to 35-27 at halftime.

Though down by 7, the Utes remained determined after a layup by Kneepkens, which led to a 8-0 run by Utah to tie the game. Shortly thereafter, McQueen put the Utes ahead after a clutch three-point shot. Brynna Maxwell then finished out the quarter with back-to-back threes to give Utah a 52-44 lead going into the fourth.

Continuing their domination, the Utes increased their advantage to 12 points. However, the Bruins were able to slowly chip away and came within just six with only 4:12 left in the game.

With UCLA trailing closely 73-70, Utah had to act quickly. Determined to get the win, Maxwell brought it home with two free-throws to effectively ice the contest and defeat the Bruins 75-70.

"We got the win when we absolutely had to get it, and I am so proud of our team. We struggled to find the basket in the first half, but 47 points in the 2nd half combined with some fantastic defense was great to see. We showed mental toughness to bounce back from Friday. UCLA is tough to beat." said head coach Lynne Roberts.

Notably, freshman super-star Jenna Johnson continued to shine as she returned to the lineup and had a big night, contributing a game-high 20 points. Gianna Kneepkens followed closely with an added 17 points.

After splitting their four-game road trip, the Utes will now head home to host Oregon State on Thursday, Feb. 24. Tip off is set for 5:30 p.m. MST. The game will be streamed on the Pac-12 networks as well as on ESPN700.

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Tessa Bagley
TESSA BAGLEY

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