Utah WBB's Frantic Fourth Quarter Rally Comes Up Short In Loss To Oregon State

Despite Brynna Maxwell's 27 points, Utah nearly overcame a 19-point deficit in the third quarter by making it a two-point game with three minutes left but it wasn't enough in the end as the Utes fell 84-74 to visiting Oregon State on Sunday

Speaking with reporters following a 65-51 victory over Arizona State last weekend, Utah head coach Lynne Roberts had nothing but praise for her team's defensive effort. 

"I thought two games in a row, our defense was fantastic," Roberts said postgame. "Our players did a great job with very little prep time for Arizona State and they locked in."

Fats forward to Sunday and that same defensive effort on the court was completely gone against an Oregon State squad beginning to find its groove late in the season.

Despite Brynna Maxwell's 27 points, Utah nearly overcame a 19-point deficit in the third quarter by making it a two-point game with two minutes left in the fourth but it wasn't enough in the end as the Utes fell 84-74 to the visiting Beavers.

Final Score: OSU 84, Utah 74#GoUtes // #Elevate pic.twitter.com/XPsds9f4B1

— Utah Women’s Basketball (@UTAHWBB) January 31, 2021

Maxwell was sensational for the Utes, shooting 6-of-13 from the field, 4-for-10 from beyond the arc and a perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line. It's no coincidence that when she caught fire, the Utes began the comeback as Maxwell scored eight points in the third quarter and another 11 in the fourth.

Kemery Martin continued her hot play of late, dropping 16 points and four rebounds in the loss. She came into the game averaging 10.5 points per game on the season, but had upped that average to 16.3 points over her past four games.

Dru Gytlen also finished in double figures with 11 points, four assists and three rebounds for the Utes. Lola Pendande came off the bench and provided extremely valuable minutes, finishing with nine points, seven rebounds and three blocks.

Utah didn't get off to the best of starts, not hitting a field goal until there was 6:09 left in the first quarter. The dismal first quarter shooting had the Utes down seven, but they rebounded with a much better performance in the second quarter eventually taking a 31-28 lead with 3:28 remaining in the half.

Unfortunately Oregon State got hot shooting the ball and went on a 26-4 run that spanned the remaining time in the first half and the opening three minutes of the third quarter to take a 54-35 lead with 7:00 remaining. 

The Utes entered the fourth quarter trailing 66-51 but then found their rhythm on offense. Martin was able to cut the deficit to two points following a three-point play with just over three minutes to go, but the Beavers responded with a quick 6-0 run to put the game away.

Q4 | 3:23 | OSU 69, Utah 67

AND ONE FOR @KEMERYM! CHIP AWAY!#GoUtes // #Elevate pic.twitter.com/arVxVrvnIz

— Utah Women’s Basketball (@UTAHWBB) January 31, 2021

Utah will now hit the road again when it travels to the Bay Area to face Cal and Stanford. They kick off the trip with a Friday night game against the Golden Bears, tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MT.

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Twitter — @UtahUtes_SI and Ryan Kostecka at @Ryan_Kostecka