Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Utah
'Cats Win Nail-Biter over Utes
12/19/2008 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
OGDEN, Utah -- Sarah Conner went 9 of 9 from the free throw line, including a pair with 0.6 seconds remaining to give Weber State (5-5) a 65-63 win over the University of Utah (4-5) on Friday night at the Dee Events Center.
"We played very aggressive on the defensive end of the floor tonight," said WSU head coach Carla Taylor. "We created some havoc on that end and caused 17 turnovers. They have some very good scorers and we knew that we couldn't let them get into a rhythm. We had to make it very hard for them on the defensive end and we did that tonight."
Katie King and Morgan Warburton each hit a pair of shots to fuel a 9-2 run in the first half to give the Utes a 30-22 lead with 3:53 left in the opening period. Sarah Conner ended the run with a three-pointer, keying a 9-2 run of the WIldcats' own to end the half and cutting Utah's lead to a single point at 32-31.
In the second half, neither team led by more than four points, which was taken by Utah at the 7:29 mark. Caitlin Anderson's three-pointer with 6:45 remaining cut that lead back to one. Conner hit two free throws with 2:16 remaining to tie the game at 60 all, and then drove the lane and found Joey O'Neill for a layup to put WSU ahead 62-60 with 1:14 left.
After another defensive stop by the Wildcats, Tonya Schnibbe hit one of two free throws to give the 'Cats a three-point lead, but Morgan Warburton hit a deep three on the next possession to knot the game at 63-63 with 8.8 seconds left. Warburton then caused a turnover on the ensuing inbound play to give Utah the ball with a chance to win the game.
The Wildcat defense got frenetic again and Schnibbe came up with her fourth steal of the night. Schnibbe drove to the other end of the floor and found Conner, who was fouled by King, setting up the game-winning free throws.
"Our physical play was key," said Taylor. "On the last sequence, all five players were very aggressive and got us the turnover we needed and we attacked the basket hard and got to the free-throw line, just as we did all night."
As a team, the Wildcats hit 15 of 17 attempts from the line, while Utah was perfect, but only had four attempts.
Schnibbe led the Wildcats with 20 points on 8 of 15 shooting from the floor. She also led the Wildcats with six assists. Conner finished the game with 14 points off the bench for the 'Cats and had three assists and no turnovers in 25 minutes of play.
"Sarah has become the X-factor for our team," said Taylor. "She could easily start, but she has been very successful coming off the bench for us. She gives us exactly what you want out of a Junior College transfer. She has come in and been an immediate contributor. Her vocal leadership has been tremendous, she is a very capable scorer and she's a very smart defender. She really gives us a lot of options and she is the ultimate team player."
Joey O'Neill hit 5 of 7 shots from the floor to add 13 points for the Wildcats. She also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
Warburton, the sister of former WSU standout Chelsey Warburton, led all scorers with 24 points on 9 of 18 shooting from the floor (4 of 5 from three-point range). She also grabbed seven rebounds, handed out five assists and blocked three shots.
King added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Utes, while Kalee Whipple chipped in with 10 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
