Preview:
We are riding high, with a #1 ranking and the news that we just landed the top 2022 recruit. But Utah took us down just a couple of years ago when we were also on a winning streak. We cannot afford to look past this game. Fortunately, practicing at altitude for a week should help our team compared with other trips to the mountains.
Utah is 3-7, having beaten Washington, Oregon State, and Montana State, but having lost to just about everyone else. Several of the losses were quite competitive--it lost to USC by a single point. It has 12 players who have played this season but just 3 consistent starters. Those three include their point leader Brynna Maxwell, a 6' sophomore guard, and 5'11" junior guard Dru Gylten. Gylten is hitting 39% of her treys and seems to be their point guard, with not quite a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio. Andrea Torres, a 6'2 junior forward from Quevec, has also started all 10 games but is their fifth leading scorer. Utah does have some height that sometimes starts or sometimes comes from the bench in 6'4" sophomore Lola Pendande from Spain, and 6'4" freshman Peyton McFarland from Idaho.
Fully 1/3 of the shots Utah takes are from three point range, and they are making 32% of them as a team, so perimeter defense without allowing Maxwell to scoot to the rim will be the order of the day. I imagine this is a prime assignment for Anna Wilson.
We are riding high, with a #1 ranking and the news that we just landed the top 2022 recruit. But Utah took us down just a couple of years ago when we were also on a winning streak. We cannot afford to look past this game. Fortunately, practicing at altitude for a week should help our team compared with other trips to the mountains.
Utah is 3-7, having beaten Washington, Oregon State, and Montana State, but having lost to just about everyone else. Several of the losses were quite competitive--it lost to USC by a single point. It has 12 players who have played this season but just 3 consistent starters. Those three include their point leader Brynna Maxwell, a 6' sophomore guard, and 5'11" junior guard Dru Gylten. Gylten is hitting 39% of her treys and seems to be their point guard, with not quite a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio. Andrea Torres, a 6'2 junior forward from Quevec, has also started all 10 games but is their fifth leading scorer. Utah does have some height that sometimes starts or sometimes comes from the bench in 6'4" sophomore Lola Pendande from Spain, and 6'4" freshman Peyton McFarland from Idaho.
Fully 1/3 of the shots Utah takes are from three point range, and they are making 32% of them as a team, so perimeter defense without allowing Maxwell to scoot to the rim will be the order of the day. I imagine this is a prime assignment for Anna Wilson.
