Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- Oklahoma State defeated Utah 68-64, overcoming a 9-point deficit.
- Micah Gray's three-pointers and Oklahoma State's rebounding dominance were key factors.
- Utah struggled with free throws and 3-point shooting, scoring just 8 points in the final quarter.
SALT LAKE CITY — In the end, Oklahoma State wanted it more.
The Utah women's basketball team held a 9-point lead with 42 seconds left in the third quarter, and then went on to only score 8 points in the final quarter as No. 24 Oklahoma State pulled away to beat the Utes 68-64 at the Huntsman Center Tuesday night.
The Cowgirls scored 18 points in the final quarter, with Micah Gray proving to be the difference-maker for an Oklahoma State team looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss to BYU Saturday.
Gray went 3-of-3 from behind the arc in the fourth quarter to erase Utah's lead and give Oklahoma State a chance late.
"Just bend, don't break," Oklahoma State coach Jacie Hoyt said she told her team. "Just keep staying in the fight, keep punching. I thought there was a point in time where our kids kind of started to feel sorry for themselves with foul trouble, and I just had to tell them you're not the victim, you just have to fight harder and you have to adjust."
Oklahoma State certainly fought harder.
None of that was more apparent than in the rebounding disparity between the two teams, with Oklahoma State outrebounding Utah 47-31 and 20-10 on offensive rebounds, which allowed the team 18 second-chance points compared to Utah's 5 points.
"It was a kind of a weird up-and-down type of game for us, but credit to Oklahoma State," Utah head coach Gavin Petersen said. "They were the tougher team tonight. They dominated the boards; I mean, dominated. I can't remember the last time a team dominated us like that on the boards, so a credit to them. That's just a will to win and just a desire to just kind of not let it slip through their fingers."
To add to the deficit in rebounding, Utah went a rare 9-of-16 from the free-throw line to compound issues in a game that was disjointed and lacked a rhythm for either team as 41 fouls were called between the two teams.
But the fouls weren't the story of the game, even if they played a part in the rhythm. But as Petersen said, it was the same for both teams and Utah didn't rise above it or any of the other factors.
"We just kind of started playing disjointed," Petersen said. "We just were not collectively moving the ball and sharing the ball like we typically do. And then they created second chances for themselves, and we didn't do our end of that, in terms of we allowed them to get second chance and 18 points — 18 points off second-chance points on offensive rebounds — you're going to lose games.
"And then when you shoot 9-for-16 from the free-throw line, that is not a recipe for success," he added. "I don't care where you play the game, those are things that you can fully control and focus on."
Hoyt said she challenged her team be the "aggressor," which proved to be the difference on both ends of the floor, but most importantly on the defensive side as the team limited Utah's want to hit 3-pointers.
Coming off a game where Utah made a season-high 18 triples, Oklahoma State made Utah work for every attempt and held the home team to just five makes on 23 attempts.
Gianna Kneepkens led Utah with 16 points as the only player for the Utes in double figures, but went 0-of-5 from behind the arc in a rare off night for the veteran sharpshooter.
"We knew we had to defend the three," Hoyt said. "That was a huge emphasis. But more importantly, we didn't want them to get the 3s off, and I thought our kids were phenomenal at getting over ball screens and handoffs and just not letting anything come easy for them."
None of it was easy.
Gray led the Cowgirls in scoring with 18 points, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range, in the win. Anna Gret Asi added 15 points and four assists, while Praise Egharevba contributed 10 points and 11 rebounds.
But no basket was bigger for Egharevba than a rebound and putback shot that drew an and-one foul to seal the game for Oklahoma State with 32 seconds left in the game.
"I was excited to see us rise to the occasion for this opportunity and fight," Petersen said. "Like, part of our scouting report had a picture of, like, play with your hair on fire. I just didn't see that. I did not see it. I saw it at moments. It's just you've got to be able to sustain."
