The Utah women’s basketball team built a double-digit lead early in the game, and things got tense again in the fourth quarter Saturday.
This time, Utah cut a 23-point lead to four before Kansas State went on a 22-5 run in six minutes to make it 67-63 at Bramlage Arena with just over three minutes remaining.
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In two of Utah’s three previous Big 12 wins, they had to endure losing double-digit leads before finally hanging on.
At least this time, the Utes closed the game with a scoring run of their own.
Utah answered Kanas State’s offense with a 3-pointer from Marty Welker and a 3-pointer from Grace Foster over the next minute or so to get the lead back to double digits.
The Utes eventually went on a 13-5 run to win 80-73 to end a two-game road trip.
A career few days have given Utah (13-4, 4-1 Big 12) a three-game winning streak.
Sophomore Foster hit 4 three-pointers and scored a career-high 17 points, along with 3 rebounds and 1 steal.
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Reese Rose finally scored a double-double for the Utah Jazz, scoring a career-high 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Rose scored 15 points in the first half and Foster scored 10 points. That helped Utah lead 41-29 at halftime, and Utah extended its advantage to 19 points through three quarters.
However, Kansas State (9-9, 2-3 Big 12) forced 19 Utah State turnovers compared to 10 for the Wildcats. The home team ultimately led 23-16 on turnovers.
The Wildcats also maintained their advantage in scoring in the paint (40-28) and off the bench (39-27), with Tess Hill scoring 16 of her game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter.
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However, Utah was able to control the game for much of the day, finishing with 20 assists on 27 field goals while hitting 11 three-pointers.
The Utes also won the free throw shootout, shooting 15-of-16 from the field while Kansas State was held to just 5-of-9.
Wilk also performed well for Utah, scoring 14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal. She scored eight points in the fourth quarter.
The win vaulted the Utes into second place in the Big 12 standings. Utah State will face No. 16 Baylor at home next Wednesday (7 p.m. MST, ESPN+).