UCLA women’s basketball extends losing streak to 3 with home defeat by Utah
UCLA women’s basketball graduate student forward IImar’I Thomas takes on two defenders in the paint in the Bruins’ loss to Utah on Sunday afternoon. Thomas was one of eight players to be honored before the game as part of the team’s Senior Day. (Sarah Teng/Daily Bruin)
Women’s basketball
| Utah | 75 |
| UCLA | 70 |
By Grace Whitaker
Feb. 20, 2022 2:44 p.m.
This post was updated Feb. 22 at 12:26 a.m.
Two freshmen spoiled the Bruins’ Senior Day.
UCLA women’s basketball (11-12, 6-8 Pac-12) fell to Utah (16-9, 7-6) by a score of 75-70 in its last home game of the season. Ute guard Gianna Kneepkens and forward Jenna Johnson – both freshmen – combined for 37 of Utah’s points to give the Bruins their third loss of the week. Graduate student guard Natalie Chou and graduate student forward IImar’I Thomas combined for 35 points in their last game at Pauley Pavilion.
Coach Cori Close said the issues from today’s matchup are more technical, and she was proud of the fight she saw within her players.
“We got to keep growing, so if we show no fight, and I don’t see those glimpses from people like Natalie, we don’t have a chance.” Close said. “But I can teach through the turnovers. I can’t do that if there’s no fight and togetherness and commitment, and that’s what I’m excited to do moving forward.”
The Bruins’ starting five consisted of five of the eight players honored prior to tipoff, including graduate student guard Jaelynn Penn, who got things started with a deep-midrange jumper. The Utes went on a 7-2 run, but the Bruins responded by scoring eight straight points from three different players to lead 12-7.
UCLA held onto that lead until the 4:11 mark of the opening period when Kneepkens made a layup after a turnover from redshirt freshman guard Dominique Onu to give her team a 14-13 lead. After shooting 2-of-10 on 3-pointer attempts in its loss to Colorado on Friday, UCLA started the game a perfect 3-of-3 on its long-range attempts in the first quarter – including two from Thomas – which gave them a one-point lead going into the second quarter with the score sitting at 18-17.
Close said Penn has a lot of respect from her teammates and played a huge role in the team’s efforts despite the loss.
“Even for (Penn) just to keep mentally coming back is such an important piece for us,” Close said. “She has great respect from our players, so when she gets going like that, it’s a big deal.”
Thomas, who put up 11 points in the first quarter on Friday, began the second frame with her third 3-pointer of the afternoon. Thanks to a scoring drought from UCLA that lasted under four minutes, the game was tied up at 21 three minutes into the second period, which was broken shortly after by two made free throws from Penn.
Trailing 24-25 a few minutes later, a pair of 3-pointers from Chou and redshirt freshman forward Izzy Anstey – who entered the matchup having attempted zero 3-pointers on the season – gave the lead back to the Bruins.
Three defensive stops and an and-1 from junior guard Camryn Brown helped extend the Bruin lead into the halftime break and end the quarter on an 11-3 run. Kneepkens and Johnson combined for 21 of the Utes’ 27 points in the first half as the blue and gold led 35-27.
Utah went on an 8-0 run to begin the second half, tying up the game at 35 within three minutes. UCLA stopped the run by adding its first points of the half with two free throws from Brown. After the two teams traded baskets, the Utes took their first lead since the first quarter five minutes into the third period – a lead that they held for 30 seconds until redshirt freshman forward Angela Dugalić scored her first points of the game to bring the score to 41-40.
Thomas said she saw improvement from her team in terms of its effort and toughness from its game Friday.
“We still have some things we need to clean up for sure. We struggled with turnovers this weekend,” Thomas said. “We’re ultimately going to keep fighting, (and) from our last game, we feel that there is some improvement.”
After a layup from guard Kennady McQueen, Utah took the lead for the third time in the second half. This began another 8-0 run for the Utes, which included two 3-pointers from guard Brynna Maxwell to send the Bruins into the fourth quarter facing their largest deficit of the game at eight.
The fourth quarter began with Maxwell scoring a layup to give her team a double-digit lead. Chou scored the first eight points of the quarter for the Bruins, helping to limit their opponents’ lead to nine points. Thomas, who was held scoreless in the third quarter, then collected five points within just over a minute to cut the Utes’ lead to 63-57 with 4:12 remaining.
Chou said after spending four years at UCLA, she is thankful for the amount of growth she has experienced as both a player and as a person.
“(I’m) just really grateful for the past four years that I’ve been able to be here,” Chou said. “Really joyful for the people and also the journey that I’ve been on for growth.”
Maxwell responded by draining a 3, and Utah managed to hold off any chance at a UCLA comeback for the following few minutes, keeping its lead at no fewer than five until there were 12 seconds left when an and-1 from Dugalić cut the Utes’ lead to three points.
However, Utah sank 7-of-9 attempts from the charity stripe in the last two minutes to secure the win.
“We know when we wear these four letters that we can’t quit in this program,” Thomas said. “Being Bruins, we’re going to just keep on trying to fight and grow through whatever we go through.”
