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SALT LAKE CITY — There was no drama down the stretch, just a Utah women's basketball team pulling away for a Sunday afternoon win against Washington State at the Huntsman Center.
Kennady McQueen hit a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, including one in transition, to give No. 7 Utah a 19-point lead with just over five minutes left to play. It was enough to keep the Cougars at bay as the Utes rolled to a 73-59 win.
It's what the No. 7 team in the country is supposed to do, especially as the regular season nears an end.
"That was a hard fought win; we knew it would be," Utah head coach Lynne Roberts said. "WSU is very well coached, they are really good. I thought we were a little sluggish the first half, we looked a little tired, and then we finished the second quarter with the right kind of energy and intensity which gave us a little cushion going into halftime. I thought we started the third quarter the right way. Credit to Washington State, they keep hanging in there."
Utah (22-2, 12-2 Pac-12) and Washington State traded baskets for much of the first half before the Utes went on a 12-3 run to closeout the half and take a 9-point lead into the halftime break. It was enough momentum to give Utah what it needed in the second half to pull away from Washington State (16-9, 6-8 Pac-12) and take over the game.
But even as Utah attempted to pull away in the third quarter, the home team couldn't avoid fouling on nearly every Washington State possession to give the Cougars multiple free-throw attempts. The Cougars went 7-of-10 from the line to keep pace with the Utes.
But Utah took charge in the fourth quarter to build upon its lead. Washington State refused to go down easy and pressed Utah once they touched the ball on the inbounds. At one point, Utah went on a three-minute scoring drought midway through the fourth quarter as Washington State went on a quick 6-0 run.
It wasn't enough, though, as the Utes maintained its double-digit lead to secure its 22nd win of the season and to remain tied at the top of the Pac-12 standings with Stanford.
Utah got it done with a balanced effort on Sunday and had five players score in double figures in the win. The Utes were led by Alissa Pili's 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting and five rebounds. Gianna Kneepkens and Jenna Johnson added 14 points apiece, Dasia Young had 13 points, and McQueen added 12 points in the win.
All of McQueen's points came from behind the arc on a day when the team made 10 3-pointers and shot 43% from the field. Kneepkens recorded a double-double with a team-high 13 rebounds.
"It was a complete game again. We had five players in double figures," Roberts said. "Winning in February in this league on a Sunday is really hard. Everybody is tired and it's just an emotional mental drain through the season in this league, because every weekend is really hard especially on Sundays. We found a way and I'm proud of our group, we protected our own court."
The Cougars were led by Bella Murekatete's 18 points and 14 rebounds, and Charlisse Leger-Walker's 17 points and four rebounds. The two combined for nearly 60% of the team's production.
