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UCLA women return to No. 2, then lose to No. 16 Utah in OT

January 23, 2024

Utah’s Matyson Wilke, left, and Jenna Johnson, right, defend against UCLA’s Kiki Rice during the first half on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

UCLA forward Gabriela Jaquez goes up for a shot as Utah guard Lani White defends during the first half on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

UCLA guard Kiki Rice drives around Utah guard Kennady McQueen during the first half on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

UCLA guard Charisma Osborne brings the ball up the court during the first half of their game against Utah on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

UCLA center Lauren Betts, top, shoots as Utah forward Jenna Johnson (22) defends during the first half on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Utah’s Ines Vieira, left, and Reese Ross, rear, battle for a loose ball against UCLA forward Lina Sontag, center, during the first half on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

UCLA head coach Cori Close reacts during the second half of their game against Utah on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

UCLA forward Gabriela Jaquez drives as Utah guard Lani White defends during the first half on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Utah’s Ines Vieira, left, battles for control of a rebound against UCLA’s Charisma Osborne during the first half on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

UCLA’s Christeen Iwuala shoots while surrounded by Utah’s Kennady McQueen, left, Jenna Johnson, bottom, and Matyson Wilke, right, during the first half on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

Utah’s Alissa Pili, right, is fouled by UCLA’s Lauren Betts while she shoots during the first half on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

Utah’s Alissa Pili, top, and UCLA’s Camryn Brown dive for a loose ball during the first half on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

Utah’s Alissa Pili, left, and UCLA guard Camryn Brown battle for a loose ball during the first half on Monday night in Salt Lake City. No. 16 Utah defeated the second-ranked Bruins, 94-81, in overtime. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

UCLA guard Charisma Osborne, left, goes to the basket as Utah guard Matyson Wilke (23) defends during the second half on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Utah head coach Lynne Roberts directs her team from the sideline during the second half of their victory over UCLA on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Utah’s Reese Ross, right, and UCLA’s Christeen Iwuala pursue a loose ball during the first half on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

UCLA guard Charisma Osborne, bottom, and Utah forward Jenna Johnson, center, battle for a loose ball during the second half on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

UCLA coach Cori Close calls out to her team from the sideline during the first half of their game against Utah on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

Utah guard Kennady McQueen goes to the basket as UCLA forward Gabriela Jaquez (23) defends during the second half on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Utah’s Matyson Wilke celebrates after making a 3-point shot during the first half of their game against UCLA on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

Utah guard Isabel Palmer, left, and UCLA guard Londynn Jones battle for a loose ball during the second half on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

UCLA’s Angela Dugalic shoots over Utah’s Alissa Pili, left, and Dasia Young during the first half on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

Utah’s Jenna Johnson, left, is pressured by UCLA’s Angela Dugalic during the first half on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

Utah’s Dasia Young, left, collides with UCLA’s Charisma Osborne, center, and Kiki Rice, right, as they pursue a loose ball during the second half on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

UCLA coach Cori Close reacts to a call during the second half of their game against Utah on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

UCLA center Lauren Betts, left, defends against Utah’s Alissa Pili during the second half on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Utah’s Kennady McQueen, left, and Matyson Wilke react during the final seconds of their overtime victory against UCLA on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

UCLA head coach Cori Close looks on from the sideline during the second half of their game against Utah on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

UCLA’s Londynn Jones brings the ball up the court during the first half of their game against Utah on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

UCLA’s Lauren Betts is pressured by Utah’s Ines Vieira, left, and Jenna Johnson as she holds the ball during the first half on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

UCLA’s Lauren Betts reacts to an official’s call during the first half of their game against Utah on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

Utah’s Ines Vieira handles the ball as UCLA’s Londynn Jones defends during the second half on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

Utah’s Alyssa Pili, left, and Kennady McQueen, right, block a shot by UCLA’s Lauren Betts during the second half on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

Utah’s Ines Vieira shoots for a basket that tied the score in the final seconds of the second half as UCLA’s Angela Dugalic, left, and Camryn Brown (35) look on during the second half on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

Utah’s Ines Vieira scores the tying basket during the final seconds of regulation against UCLA on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Utah’s Ines Vieira, right, celebrates with Kennady McQueen after scoring the tying basket in the final seconds of the second half of their game against UCLA on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Utah’s Ines Vieira, right, celebrates with Kennady McQueen after scoring the tying basket during the final seconds of the second half of their game against UCLA on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Utah’s bench players react during the second half of their overtime victory over UCLA on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Utah’s Kennady McQueen, left, and Lani White celebrate their overtime victory over UCLA on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Utah’s Kennady McQueen, left, and Lani White, center, celebrate their overtime victory over UCLA on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Utah’s Kennady McQueen, left, Dasia Young, center, and Alyssa Blanck, right, celebrate their overtime victory over UCLA on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

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By MATTHEW COLES The Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY — The UCLA women’s basketball team returned to the No. 2 spot in the latest AP Top 25 poll to start the day, but the Bruins didn’t have much to celebrate by the end of the night despite a valiant fourth-quarter comeback.

Kennady McQueen had a season-high 21 points, Dasia Young and Matyson Wilke each made four 3-pointers and No. 16 Utah upended UCLA, 94-81, in overtime on Monday night.

“Normally, it’s Alissa (Pili) coming up in those huge moments but seeing her struggle, she knows that we’re more than capable. She was hyping us all up the entire time. Everyone else just stepped up individually tonight,” McQueen said.

Young and Wilke each had season highs of 16 points to overcome an off-game by their star Pili, who had 16 points on 4-of-15 shooting.

“(Pili) doesn’t care how many points she scores. She wasn’t mad … and wasn’t telling us, ‘Guys, I need the ball.’ She kept passing it when we were open and it just shows we love each other and we’re gonna do anything we can to win,” Wilke said.

Utah (14-5 overall, 4-3 Pac-12) had never defeated a team ranked this high and had never beaten the Bruins (15-2, 4-2) three times in a row.

Gabriela Jaquez scored 21 points, Kiki Rice added 16 and Charisma Osborne had 14 for the Bruins, who were outscored 22-9 in overtime after a remarkable fourth-quarter comeback.

“We showed a lot of guts to put us in a position to where I thought we should have won the game. We got to close that out,” UCLA coach Cori Close said.

In overtime, Pili finally made her mark with a rebound putback and two free throws on consecutive possessions to put Utah up 83-76 with 2:01 remaining. UCLA, which was outrebounded for the first time all season (38-35), never got close after that.

The Bruins had clamped down in the fourth quarter, forcing five turnovers and 1-for-9 shooting before Wilke hit her fourth 3-pointer of the game to make it 70-64.

“We didn’t win many hustle plays until the fourth quarter,” Close said. “We got stops, attacking in transition, getting second-shot opportunities.”

Jaquez, Rice and Brown made three shots in a row to give UCLA its first lead, 71-70, since the first half with 53.9 seconds left. The Bruins blocked Pili twice in the final minute of regulation.

Utah’s Ines Vieira, who had 12 points, made a driving layup to send the game to overtime after Camryn Brown made a free throw with four seconds remaining in regulation.

“Ines’s layup – that wasn’t even the play – but she just made a read and it was perfect,” McQueen said.

BIG PICTURE

UCLA: With the height advantage they enjoy nearly every game, the Bruins gave Pili problems but couldn’t cash in with many easy baskets on the offensive end. The UCLA defense couldn’t keep up as Utah generated wide-open 3-point looks with its drive-and-kick offense.

Utah: The Utes take the vast majority of their shots around the basket or behind the 3-point line, so when the 3-pointers (13 for 28) are falling Utah’s offense really hums. Perhaps the keys were Utah’s all-out hustle with swarming defense and bodies on the floor nearly every play.

UP NEXT

UCLA hosts Washington on Friday at 7 p.m.

Orange County Register

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UCLA women return to No. 2, then lose to No. 16 Utah in OT

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