Heartbreaking finish shouldn't mar Utah women's season success

SALT LAKE CITY — As Utah sophomore Jenna Johnson stepped up to the free-throw line, the pressure of the moment was felt by all.

With 4.7 seconds left in the game, Johnson needed to make at least one free throw to tie up the game against an LSU team that erased a 2-point Utah lead with 1:09 left and took a 1-point lead of their own. Just two minutes earlier, LSU controlled a game-high 8-point lead, but Utah went on a late run to make it a close game.

Johnson's first attempt fell well short of the rim, which only added to the pressure of the moment.

She remained visibly calm — how she was able to do so seemed impossible — and still had one more shot left to tie up the game. Her second attempt hit the front of the rim, rolled off the back and into the hands of Utah's Dasia Young before it was stripped away by LSU's Sa'myah Smith, who quickly called a timeout.

As the teams huddled up in their respective areas of the court during the timeout, Johnson could be seen letting the emotions flow. Anyone that watched could tell she blamed herself for what she viewed as the deciding factor in the game.

Utah head coach Lynne Roberts sat next to Johnson and put an arm around her in an attempt to console the sophomore forward, and to offer words of encouragement in a time of true heartbreak.

Regardless of all the what-ifs that transpired over the course of the game — to say nothing of Utah's 8-point deficit three minutes earlier — it's difficult for an athlete to not blame themselves in that tense and pivotal moment of the game where every mistake or miss is magnified. But Roberts let Johnson know that wasn't the case.

No singular moment was the deciding factor, which has been Roberts' view of the makeup of her team all season — in wins and losses. It's a collective effort.

"Jenna is such — I thought she played her tail off today," Roberts said. "She left it all out there. I just told her I was proud of her. A game never comes down to the last shot. I mean, that's what we remember; that's what we talk about, but there's so much that goes in before that. I just told her I loved her and I was proud of her, and we're still in it. Like, we still can get the ball back down three — stay in it.

"But I love that kid; she's a fighter. It's hard. Those are pressure moments, and it's a growing experience for her — she's just a sophomore. But I don't think that'll happen again if she gets that opportunity again, knowing her, the competitor she is. If you said Jenna Johnson on the line in this game to win it, would you take it? Heck yeah, and I'd take it tomorrow."

Just a week ago, Johnson was instrumental in Utah staving off runs from Gardner-Webb and Princeton to even make it to the Sweet 16, to say nothing of all the work she put into the season to help Utah claim a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. For one moment, it didn't go her way; it just so happened to come at a highly visible, high-pressure time.

Utah went on to lose the game after it fouled LSU before the Tigers were able to inbound the ball (and two ensuing free throws were made by Alexis Morris) and a last-second 3-point attempt by Young failed to equalize on the other end.

The Utes certainly had their chances, but the way it ended does little to tarnish the historic success the program had. It "stings," Roberts said, and will take some time to get the figurative bad taste of the loss out of their mouth; but for a team that features no seniors, it could quite possibly be just the beginning to an even better run next season.

"I think it's going to take a little bit of time," Roberts said. "We wanted this one bad; we wanted to win this regional, one at a time. I think it'll even take me some time. But we've got such a great group, and they're bought in and they're tight. It's not a group of individuals, it's the sum of the parts. That is exciting, and we'll add some — we've got some great freshmen signed, and we'll be better; I can guarantee you that. We'll be better next year."

How much better remains to be seen, but Utah rose to be No. 3 in the Associated Press rankings — the highest in program history — and claimed its first regular season title. And they did it all by losing only five games all season — that matches the number of wins Utah had just two seasons ago.

It's a program that has quickly grown its profile in the sport, and one that has some staying power should a majority of the roster, especially its core starting unit, comes back for next season. It's a program that should give perennial favorite Stanford a run for the money as the preseason favorite in the Pac-12.

And more importantly to Roberts and the players who have bought into her system, the fan support and interest in the program has grown immensely.

"It's hard to think about it right now, but that is something we can look forward to — just like being with each other throughout the summer and getting better," sophomore guard Gianna Kneepkens said about Utah's young team. "Yeah, right now it's hard to think about, but it's definitely exciting for the future, and we'll get some new girls, as well."

So while a missed free-throw attempt, or a missed buzzer-beating 3-point attempt, or any other attempt to keep the season alive may sting in the immediate future, the long-term future of the program remains bright and promising.

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