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TUCSON, Ariz. — Utah head coach Lynne Roberts needed to be calmed down by her players at the end of regulation.
The fired up coach was extremely frustrated after back-to-back calls went in favor of the home team — an offensive foul on Alissa Pili as she was backing down for a layup and a rebound tie-up by Dasia Young that the refs changed to a timeout. Arizona got the ball in both instances.
Roberts needed to be calmed down again at the end of overtime after Dasia Young picked up her fifth foul on a rebound by Arizona's Kailyn Gilbert that sent the guard to the line for two free throws and a chance to take the lead with 1.1 seconds left to play.
Gilbert, who finished with a team-high 22 points and 12 rebounds, stepped to the line and drained both free throws, putting pressure on Utah for a final shot. Jenna Johnson inbounded the ball into the post to get Alissa Pili a clean look, but she couldn't corral the ball in a crowded post and Utah dropped the game 71-70 in overtime.
Utah (11-4, 1-2 Pac-12) had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation, too, with 2.4 seconds left to play, but a pass from Pili to a cutting Young couldn't convert since she was too underneath the basket to get the shot off.
In the overtime period, Arizona (10-5, 2-1 Pac-12) took a 4-point lead after a couple missed shots by Utah. But after Pili made two free throws and Kennady McQueen stripped the Wildcats of the ball, Utah eventually found Ines Vieira in the corner for a 3-pointer to give Utah a 70-69 lead.
Utah, which suffered team-wide food poisoning ahead of the game, couldn't get a shot to fall for the remainder of the contest. A Pili shot attempt late was blocked, but she got the ball to Young, who didn't see the clock and got a shot clock violation to give Arizona the ball back and a chance to take the lead.
Arizona took control of the game early and started with a 6-0 lead amid a scoring drought by Utah, eventually building up an 8-point lead before the Utes settled in and got some shots to fall. Utah eventually went on a 15-2 run to end the quarter to hold a 2-point lead at the end of the opening quarter.
After a back-and-forth affair in the second quarter, Utah started to pull away in the third quarter but closed out the quarter on a four-minute scoring drought. Utah then opened up the fourth quarter with four consecutive turnovers and Arizona was back in the game.
Despite the poor shooting — Utah shot just 38% from the field — the Utes maintained a lead going into the final seconds of regulation.
With the game tied 65-65 with 2:04 left, Vieira missed two straight free throws to keep the game deadlocked. On the next Utah possession, Pili was called for an offensive foul with two defenders on her as she was backing in for a potential shot. That started Roberts' frustration with the refs.
On Utah's next possession, McQueen's 3-point shot was just off the mark and Young rebounded the ball in a tie-up with an Arizona defender. The refs eventually called a held ball (Utah's possession), but one ref called a foul.
After a short conference and a look at the video monitor, the refs ruled it was a foul and Arizona's ball, setting off Roberts again. This time, she needed help from her players to keep her away from the refs and avoid a costly technical in a locked-up game.
Helena Pueyo finished with 20 points, four assists and three rebounds as Arizona's only other player in double figures for a day when the Wildcats finished shooting 45% from the field.
Despite the poor shooting, Utah had four players score in double figures, with Pili finishing with 18 points and five rebounds in the loss. McQueen added 16 points, including four 3-pointers, and six rebounds; Jenna Johnson had 13 points and eight rebounds, and Young added 12 points and eight rebounds before fouling out in overtime.
