'We're no joke; we're good': Lani White's clutch 3-pointers lift Utah to upset win over No. 8 TCU

SALT LAKE CITY — The game was so good it needed an extra five minutes of playing time.

And the Utah women had Lani White to thank for the extra minutes.

The senior guard received a pass behind the 3-point line from freshman LA Sneed, quickly rose up with 10 seconds left to play, and hit a contested 3-pointer to tie up the game with No. 8 TCU in an electric environment at the Huntsman Center Saturday night.

"To be quite honest with you, I was a little confident in the shot," White said. "I felt it in my hands. The seams were on the right spots, and I just let that thing fly. I heard all of my teammates, they were like, 'Shoot it.' I didn't hesitate and I just let it go."

A 3-point try by TCU star Olivia Miles was off, and the Horned Frogs couldn't convert on a second-chance opportunity to send the game into overtime. From there, it was all Utah en route to an 87-77 overtime win to upset the visiting Horned Frogs, their first loss of the season.

"From the jump, they put together an incredible 45 minutes," TCU head coach Mark Campbell said. "They competed, they played hard, they made big-time shots. Defensively, they did a great job; we never got into a good flow or rhythm. And then offensively, that's what they do, they shoot a lot of 3's; we knew it.

"We were attempting to slow them down and defend the 3-point line, and we clearly just didn't do a good enough job."

Utah (11-4, 1-1 Big 12) worked quickly in overtime, where White answered again with a corner 3-pointer to give the Utes a three possession lead. From there, the team finished at the free-throw line to hold onto the win in a double-digit win.

White led the team in scoring with 25 points — including four made 3-pointers — and five rebounds in an all-around dominant effort from the veteran player.

"What a game. So proud of our team to rising to the occasion, putting together another game in terms of just intensity and focus for 40 minutes," Utah head coach Gavin Petersen said. "I'm just really proud of us, like fully buying into the process of putting a team together, and we're starting to get there."

"We only have room to go forward," White added. "We can only go up, and it takes one through 13. I think tonight proved that it takes everyone, but this team is bought in. We all have to buy in constantly, and we have to indulge and sacrifice for play like this. So it was a good night; it was a team win. But, yeah, we can only go forward, that's what we do."

Though White led the way for the Utes, it was Reese Ross who set the stage for an upset with a strong third-quarter effort. The veteran forward was a perfect 3-of-3 from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers, to finish with 10 points and three rebounds in the quarter.

Whether it was her offensive performance or her defensive presence, Ross helped Utah outscore TCU 18-11 in the third quarter to set up the game's heroic finish.

Utah controlled a 4-point lead late in the fourth quarter in what looked to be an upset in regulation, but TCU (14-1, 2-1 Big 12) quickly answered with back-to-back 3-pointers to control a 2-point lead. Miles then went 1-of-2 from the free-throw line to keep the game within one possession.

And that's where White went to work and stole back the game.

Beyond White, Utah had four other players finish in double figures, with Ross adding 15 points and six rebounds before fouling out late in overtime. Maty Wilke supplied an additional 12 points, four assists and three rebounds for the Utes, who also got 10 points apiece from Brooke Walker and Evelina Otto.

In all, Utah shot 48% from the field, outrebounded the tallest team in the country 43-39 and had 22 assists on 26 made baskets for the game.

"We're exactly where we need to be," Ross said. "We just showed the world what we're capable of, and now we continue earning that respect from people, like, we're no joke; we're good."

Ross added that the team's emphasis and focus on rebounding in practice helped against a tough rebounding team like TCU.

"We make it a priority, and that's what we talk about, is those opportunities to get, like, extra chances, and that comes from rebounding, whether that's on the offensive end, giving us opportunities or limiting theirs on the defensive board," she said. "So it's just as important as scoring, rebound is the exact same."

Miles ended her triple-double streak of four straight against Utah, but finished as the team's leader with a career high 31 points on 12-of-24 shooting, seven rebounds and seven assists for a Horned Frogs team that shot 37% from the field.

Helping Miles was Marta Suarez, who supplied an additional 23 points and 11 rebounds in a double-double effort. But beyond the two players, TCU struggled to find scoring, with only three other players scoring a point for the Horned Frogs.

"We had a chance to steal this game. We didn't deserve this game," Campbell said. "They out-played us, and so we've got to get better."

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