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SALT LAKE CITY — A big first half deficit was too much to overcome for the Utah women’s basketball team Sunday afternoon as they fell to last place University of California 88-74 in the Huntsman Center.
Cal went on a 13-0 run after making a defensive adjustment midway through the first quarter, eventually stretching its lead to as much as 16 before finishing the half with a 48-36 score. Although Utah was able to tie the score, the hill was too steep to climb and the Golden Bears held on for the win.
The Utes had no problem getting to the hole for much of the first quarter, slashing through the paint to get great looks. But Cal forced Utah to settle for mid-range jump shots, which stalled its offense.
On the other end of the floor for the Bears, Alaysia Styles was a force that couldn’t be stopped. The 6-foot-3 junior shot a perfect 5-for-5 from the field to go along with 5-of-6 from the charity stripe to give the Bears 16 points in the half. She finished with 19 points, a career high.
Styles’ length in the paint called for more attention from the Utes, which opened up the deep ball for Jazlen Green. She nailed four 3-pointers in the half, part of 14 points overall.
“I just saw a lot of open spots on the floor for me,” Styles said. “Whenever I got the ball, I would look up, and if I saw a lane, I would try to take it. If somebody stepped in front of me, I still decided to go up. It just worked out that way.”
The loss for the Utes comes against a Cal team that has struggled mightily under first-year head coach Charmin Smith. The Golden Bears improved to just 10-15 overall and 2-12 in Pac-12 play with their lone other conference victory coming over fellow cellar-dweller Washington. The loss gives Utah a season split after beating the Bears in Berkeley Jan. 24. Since that game, the Utes have two wins and five losses.
“(The win) means a lot for sure,” Styles said. ”It means a ton for our team, especially because we work hard. We come into practice every day and work regardless of how the season has gone so far, so getting a win shows the hard work is paying off.“
The Utes came out firing in the third quarter, going on a 19-7 run to begin the half. That stretch tied the game, suddenly putting pressure back on the road team to answer. Utah was unable to sustain that level of play, however. At the end of the third quarter, Cal held a four point advantage, and the Bears went on to outscore the Utes 24-14 in the fourth quarter, holding off any chance of a comeback victory.
“I think we got a little tired at the end just trying to play hard and play defense as well,” Utah sophomore Dru Gylten said. ”We had to play catch up the entire game, so then once we got to the fourth quarter, I think it started to wear on us.”
Gylten had a season-high 21 points and finished one assist shy of a double-double. The guard from Rapid City, South Dakota, was aggressive on offense, able to drive to the basket in transition and facilitate the half-court offense. She shot 7-for-12 from the field and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Despite the great effort, Gylten wasn’t able to enjoy the stats postgame.
”It was kind of unfortunate how we started,” she said. “You always want to play well, but at the end of the day, we didn’t score enough points to win.”
Utah, which has had trouble maintaining any type of consistency this season, came into the game at the middle of the pack in conference standings after getting blown out Friday night against No. 8 Stanford. The Utes now sit at 5-9 in conference play and fall to below .500 overall at 12-13. Head coach Lynne Roberts was unavailable to the media following the game.
Utah will remain at home for its final two home games of the season, going up against Arizona and Arizona State. Tipoff against the Wildcats will be at 7 p.m. on Friday, broadcast on the Pac-12 Network.
