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SALT LAKE CITY — The defense was mostly there, but the shots didn't fall.
In a top-20 matchup against No. 17 Oregon State, No. 20 Utah couldn't find a rhythm on offense and struggled for much of the night at home in the Huntsman Center.
The Beavers controlled an 8-point lead, 30-22, at the halftime break, and then used some early 3-pointers in the third quarter to pull away from the Utes and lead by as much as 17 with three minutes left to play in the quarter.
Oregon State shot 41% from the floor — in stark contrast to Utah's meager 28% — and came away with a 58-44 win Friday night. It's the second loss to the Beavers in a two-week period for the Utes.
"Not a great performance by us," Utah head coach Lynne Roberts said. "I'm disappointed in the outcome and kind of how we played. I did not anticipate that. I thought we had a good week of prep. I thought we were ready to roll, but clearly we weren't. And you know what, that's on me. If we weren't ready to go — and it was across the board — then that's got to be on me.
"I think we just missed shots. I'm not gonna say anything everyone didn't see, but we missed them badly; it wasn't like they rimmed out. We missed shots badly. Defensively, I thought we were hit and miss, but I don't remember the last time we scored 44 points — like, that's just, it's just not us. So clearly, I didn't have them ready to go, and I'll take responsibility, and we move forward."
Thought Roberts was quick to shoulder the blame for not getting her team ready for a matchup that has proven to be difficult for the Utes this season, it was reigning Pac-12 Player of the Year Alissa Pili who said the coaches put the team in a spot to succeed, but that she "failed as a leader" with her teammates.
"I know coach is taking the blame for just the outcome or whatever, but, I mean, there's only so much she could do," an emotional Pili said. "I feel like we had a good week, as well — like we prepared. I feel like they prepared us well, and we thought we knew what we we're doing for the game plan. There were just times we didn't execute in.
"Personally, I failed as a leader. I let the frustration get to me and I wasn't out there leading my team when they needed me the most. So, you know, that's on me as a leader."
Pili finished with 12 points and six rebounds in a quiet night for the team's leading scorer, but it wasn't just the senior forward who struggled with their shot. Everyone outside of Kennedy McQueen, who had a team-high 14 points, including four 3-pointers, struggled to get any shots to fall at a consistent level.
Utah (17-7, 7-5 Pac-12) managed to cut the deficit down to 11 on a 6-0 run to closeout the third quarter, and eventually got it to as low as 10 early in the fourth quarter, but the Utes could never piece together a long enough stretch without making a mistake to lose momentum.
Oregon State (19-3, 8-3 Pac-12) capitalized with a corner 3-pointer after a Utah turnover, and the rest was history.
Even an early timeout in the fourth quarter by Roberts to get her team back in check merited little. On the ensuing play, Ines Vieira forced a turnover on a bad pass, and Roberts could be seen dropping her head into her lap in frustration as she tried to get anything to work.
Utah finished with only nine turnovers in the game, but each was costly as it turned into 12 points on the other end for the Beavers.
"I did not see it coming," Roberts said. "I feel like this group wants to be good. They want to win, but you've got to produce in these big games, and we didn't. So credit to Oregon State; they beat us, they beat us soundly."
Raegan Beers led all scores with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting and eight rebounds, and Ogden native Timea Gardiner added 10 points and rebounds in the win for the Beavers.
Utah opened up the first four minutes of the game with a stout defense that forced Oregon State to find shots late in the shot clock, including two near shot-clock violations, but that defense eventually slid as the Utes couldn't piece together anything on the offensive side of the ball.
"I think, unfortunately, in basketball, no one wants to admit it, but your offense affects your defense," Robert said. "And we were missing shots badly — again, we're not gonna shoot 100%, but the way we missed it was like, whoa. And I think that kind of gets in your head a little bit, and it affects your defense. And as much as you don't want that to be the reality, sometimes it is."
