It’s five straight wins for Gavin Peterson’s Utah women’s basketball team.
The Utes avenged last season’s nonconference loss to the Wildcats with a 91-66 win over Big Ten Conference Northwestern on Sunday at the Huntsman Center.
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This time, Utah State pulled away in the second and third quarters after a tense first quarter.
Team is getting back into shape ahead of Big 12 games
It took the Utes some time to find a rhythm with a new team that didn’t include former Ute greats like Gianna Nipkens, Jenna Johnson, Kenardy McQueen and Ines Vieira.
In a win over Northwestern, senior guard Lani White continued to solidify her status as a player the Utes will rely on this season as they attempt to make their fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
After going 5-for-5 from 3-point range in last week’s win over Boise State, White went 7-for-7 from 3-point range against Northwestern, including 4-for-4 in the third quarter, as Utah beat Northwestern 32-13.
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White scored a career-high 26 points, plus 7 rebounds and 3 assists, while small forward Rhys Ross scored a season-high 20 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists.
The Utes followed their seniors to victory, including Maty Wilke, who struggled with a shoulder injury, to finish with 11 points, five rebounds and four assists.
The Jazz shot an astonishing 76.5% from the field in the third quarter, 53.8% from the field for the game, and provided 24 assists against powerful league opponents.
The Utes hit 13 3-pointers, a staple of their recent string of successes during the Peterson and Lynn Roberts era, while holding Northwestern to two 3-pointers.
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It all culminated in a dominant win over Salt Lake City and a 6-3 record.
Utah weathered early adversity and thrived
Although Utah State came out strong over the final two-plus quarters — Utah outscored Northwestern 45-30 in the second half — the home team had to win a close game early on.
Thanks to Grace Sullivan’s 14 points in the opening quarter, the Wildcats led by 5 points in the first quarter and led 24-23 after one quarter.
With more than three minutes left in the second quarter, Northwestern University even chased the score to 34-34, and then Utah began to pull away.
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The Utes outscored the Wildcats 12-2 at the end of the second quarter and went into halftime 46-36 before scoring 22 of the first 26 points of the third quarter to extend their lead to 34-6.
That was enough for the Wildcats, who led Sullivan by 21 points.
What this means for Utah
The Utes (8-3) have won by an average of 24.6 points per game during a five-game winning streak, beating Weber State, Montana State, Colorado State, Boise State and Northwestern during that stretch.
Utah State, which is 2-7 on the season, will end its unscheduled schedule this Wednesday (7 p.m. MST) at home against UC Riverside.
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With just eight days left until the start of Big 12 play, Utah State will face Arizona State on December 22 before the Christmas break.
The Utes will host undefeated Arizona State in the team’s home opener on Dec. 31.
Following a three-game losing streak earlier this year to Washington, Syracuse and defending national champion UConn, three teams currently considered NCAA tournament teams, Utah has responded well and is starting to show the kind of efficiency Utah fans have become familiar with in recent years.
As the league season begins, can young players like LA Sneed, Avery Hjelmstad and Evelina Otto continue to develop?
There’s another chance to push this further before Big 12 play begins.
