Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Utah
Utah Blows Out Wildcats 71-45
12/21/2007 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Salt Lake City, UT ? Weber State's five game winning streak came to a screeching halt Friday night as the ?Cats lost 71-45 to the Utah Utes, dropping to 6-4 on the season.
From the start things didn't go Weber State's way as the first half was a disaster for the Wildcats. Utah never trailed and the Wildcats started the game missing their first eight shots and didn't' make a field goal until 14:39 left in the first half. During one stretch the ?Cats went eight minutes without a field goal. With Utah leading 13-9 with 11:47 to play, the Utes outscored the ?Cats 16-2 over the next nine minutes.
Utah led 34-16 at halftime as the ?Cats scored their fewest points in a half in two years. The 16 points is the fewest in a half since December 2005 when they had 15 in the first half in a loss to Wyoming. Friday WSU was 6-28 from the field for 21 percent shooting, while Utah shot 54 percent. Sara Tuomi started the game 0-8 from the field but made a field goal with five seconds left to finish the half 1-9 from the floor.
The Utes started the second half on a 9-2 run and never looked back. The closest the ?Cats got was 19 points in the second half.
Weber State finished the game shooting 16-54 from the field for 29 percent, while Utah shot nearly 54 percent. The Utes also outrebounded the ?Cats 43-24, the 24 points the fewest rebounds by the ?Cats this season. WSU did have just ten turnovers, compared to 13 for Utah. The Utes outscored the ?Cats 24-8 in points in the paint.
“We didn't come to play tonight and did not have the intensity we needed,” said WSU head coach Carla Taylor. “I was disappointed in our effort and that we didn't compete on every possession like we needed to. We didn't buy into the game plan and that showed in our effort.”
Tuomi led the Wildcats with 16 points on 6-20 shooting and pulled down seven rebounds. Senior Ahkiah Hunter finished with 11 points and Ali Thorderson added five off the bench. Weber State was 11-13 from the free throw line.
WSU has now lost five straight and 12 of the last 13 played against Utah and they are just 1-20 all-time in the Huntsman Center.
The ?Cats will now take a week long break for the Christmas holiday and will next play December 29-20 at the UTSA Wells Fargo Classic in San Antonio, Texas. They will take on Chattanooga Saturday and face the host UTSA on Sunday. After that they will begin the 2008 Big Sky season.
