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Show SPORTS [www.dailyutahchronicle.com Women's Basketball Monday Women's Tennis Utah vs. Ohio State 11 AM PTLas Vegas Men's Golf 7 Monday, March 23,2009 Men's Basketball 197.800 192.725 60 W30 University of Oregon Duck Invitational All Day Eugene, Ore. Gymnastics WOMEN'S BASKETBALL Utah pushes through first round of NCAAs Whipple and Warburton hitting two early 3-pointers. Villanova reSTAFF WRITER sponded with a 12-4 riJn of its own, •^It looks like Utah can prolong its eventually cutting Utah's lead down stay in College Park, Md., a little to two. That's when the Utes went longer, thanks to a suffocating de- into a defensive craze as they put the clamps down on the Wildcats' fensive performance. ^ T h e No. 9 seed Utes took care of offense. Villanova didn't score a single business and then some as they dismantled the No. 8 seed Villanova basket for the last 4 minutes 48 seconds of the first half and went into Wildcats 60-30 Sunday afternoon. v: .Katie King was one of three Utes halftime down 26-16. The Wildcats to score in double figures by lead- could only muster a meager 25 pering all scorers with 18 points, tying cent shooting. "Well, I mean we are extraordiher career high. Morgan Warburton pitched in 14 points, and Kalee narily happy with this first round Whipple received the ESPN Player game for us," Elliott said. "Our kids of the Game award after her perfor- played hard and Villanova is a very mance with 15 points and eight re- good team. They had some struggles tonight putting the ball in the bounds. "This team has been amazing all hole, so it is a great start for us." The second half followed the year. We are happy to be here," said head coach Elaine Elliott. "To be same beat as the first. Utah opened things up with anhere was a task. They have grown into this game, and it was a great re- other run, outscoring the Wildcats II-I in the first few minutes of the ward for them." It was apparent from the opening second half to push its lead up to 37tip that Utah was ready to exorcise 17. last year's tournament nightmare. Villanova wasn't able to get the The Utes stormed out to a 10-0 Utes' lead back to under 15 points lead in the opening minutes, with the rest of the night and Utah seem- Quinn Wilcox ingly went on cruise control for the rest of the game. "We were ready to play, and we were confident in our shots," Warburton said. "So it was a good start for us and helped us with our confidence." Utah's stern defensive effort has been around all season, but Elliott must have been pleased with her player's defensive effort against one of the best teams in the Big East. Villanova's star player, senior forward Laura Kurz, was held to 11 points on 5-of-i9 shooting from the field, including going o-for-7 from the 3-point line. Kurz's teammates didn't have much luck against the Utes either, as the Wildcats shot a combined 19 percent from the floor for the game. Villanova managed to make only four field goals the entire second half. COURTESY ASSOCIATED PRESS "Our job was to take away the 3-pointer, because that's what we Katie King goes in for the ball against Villanova's Tia Grant. King tied a career high with 18 thought was gomg to win the game points and added six rebounds in the Utes'win. for us," Whipple said. Maryland has been a trendy pick points per contest. Utah has no time to celebrate the 30-point victory. The No. 1 seed to land in the Final Four, thanks in Ail-American point guard Kristi Maryland Terrapins (29-4) now large part to its high-powered offense that is averaging nearly 80 See MARYLAND Page 10 await the Utes. MEN'S BASKETBALL Arizona smothers Utes in opener Marco Villano COURTESY ASSOCIATED PRESS Tyler Kepkay attempts to pass around Arizona's Jordan Hill. Kepkay was the top scorer for the Utes with 19 points in the loss to Arizona. Nevill's absence down low made a heyday for the WildSTAFF WRITER cats' quick and athletic scorUtah didn't look like the ers. When Nevill was on the team that won 24 games, the bench, the Wildcats drove team tjiat won the Mountain into the lane with ease and West Conference regular- often scored at will. season championship or the As soon as he picked up team that won the MWC his fourth foul, the Wildcats tournament. started taking it right at NevFrom the opening tip, the ill, and there was nothing No. 12 seed Arizona Wild- Utah or its big man could do. cats worked the No. 5-seed- Arizona finished the game ed Runnin' Utes, controlling with 51 points in the paint. the pace of the game and . "I thought I was playing shutting down Utah's of- good 'D,' I had my hands up in fense with a full-court press, the air," Nevill said. "Someleading to an 84-71 victory times you play in games, and for the Wildcats at American you just get calls that you might not agree with, but Airlines Arena in Miami. "I don't think that's the that's the way it goes." team we saw on tape, but we Arizona controlled the knew we were going to get a tempo from the get-go and good shot from them," said the Utes weren't ready for it. head coach Jim Boylen. "I Arizona trapped Luka Drca thought they played with a as soon as Nevill tipped the sense of urgency. You've got ball to him, which would be to give them credit for that, the story for the rest of the and they beat us today." half. This caused, the Utes to A main cog in Utah's fail- hurry on the offensive side ure to get anything going of the ball, which led to a disoffensively was the absence mal i-for-9 shooting to start of MWC Player of the Year the half. Luke Nevill. "They just made it tough The 7-foot 2-inch senior in the very beginning," said picked up two quick fouls in guard Tyler Kepkay. "I think the first four minutes of the that kind of hurt us for the game and rode the bench rest of the game because I for much of the first half. think if you take away that He would tack on two more first, I don't know, six, seven fouls by the 14-minute 38- minutes of the game, it's a second mark in the second different game." and finished the game with At the 9-minute 30-second 12 points and six rebounds mark in the first half, Utah in 27 minutes played. Nevill trailed the Wildcats 23-10. played for most of the sec- The Utes looked nervous, ond half with four fouls and did not foul out. See BASKETBALL Page 8 GYMNASTICS ked Rocks finish season on high note Bryan Chouinard STAFF WRITER tr &PROVO—The result of Friday night's jineet between Utah and BYU was never in question. vL' After the first rotation, Utah led the SSougars 49.375 to 48.5 and the Red Rocks never looked back, winning £heir regular-season finale by setting ja: season-high 197.8, compared to the Cougars' 192.725. c The 197.8 is the second-highest score earned all season, behind Georgia's 198.2 scored earlier this season. Slong their way to their highest score bf the season, the Red Rocks set season highs on the vault (49.550) and the floor £49.6)—previous highs on the events were 49.525 and 49.425, respectively. -J "They're very happy with what they 3id tonight," said head coach Greg Marsden. "I think we accomplished what we talked about getting done to- night and I was really worried about whether we would be able to do that, after that huge high of last week." Coming off an emotion-packed senior night against No. 5 Florida on March 13, there was some fear of a letdown in the season finale, but the Red Rocks showed their mental strength as they catapulted themselves into the postseason on a roll. "To get the best team score was a great note to go out on for regionals and nationals," said Utah senior Kristina Baskett. "It shows how hard we have been working mentally." Baskett won the all-around competition once again Friday night, scoring 39.650 on the night. After setting a season high on the vault (9.950), Baskett then set a career high on the floor, scoring a 9.950. It was Baskett's seventh straight score on the vault higher than 9.9. With only the beam remaining, Baskett needed 1 at least a 9.875 on the beam in order to break her career-high all-around. But Baskett finished her night on the beam scoring a 9.825, giving her a 39.650 on the night. "I'm very pleased with my performance tonight as well as the rest of the girls," Baskett said. "And it will be a good place to start next week's practice and we'll be excited to keep going." Baskett wasn't the only Red Rock to set a career high on the floor. Junior Annie DiLuzio set a career high with a 9-975> along with Daria Bijak, who scored a 9.925. "I would like to do floor like that all the time," Bijak said. "(The coaches and I) had a talk this week and they told me not to try to be perfect and compete like I practice and today I just let it go." Bijak had a career night in the season finale—along with setting a career high See GYMNASTICS Page 8 Lessons can be learned from tough tourney loss M ere seconds after the official tossed the ball between two future CHRIS NBA big men, Utah's impressive resume KAMRANI sank into oblivion. Utah won the open— ing tip, but the Arizona Wildcats were in a defensive dunks to boot. ( frenzy from the moment the The combo of Chase clock read 19 minutes 59 secBudinger and Nic Wise were onds, and that's when things kryptonite to the Utes' now got downright atrocious Yor" "" 24-16 season. the Mountain West ConferBudinger showcased his ence Champion and No. 5 overall game, shaking off seed Utes. defenders and getting to the They were stifled, bothered basket at will. Defenders such as Shaun Green, Drca and and forced out of their eleBrown were fish in a barrel ment. for the swingman. Budinger Arizona played with a chip on its shoulder and well, Utah finished the game with 20 points, eight rebounds, six fans know the rest of the assists and four steals. story. It was Wise who continuUnfortunately for the Utes, ally proved to be the knife in they never gave the Wildcats Utah's back as he shredded a scare, not even a fright. the respectable Utah defense Arizona didn't need to for 29 points, most coming at worry about a fright—the Utes took care of all the defla- therimas he shed Lawrence Borha like a bad habit. tion themselves. Twenty turnovers. Carlon Utah's inability to do anyBrown coughed up the rock thing with Arizona's press, with the Utes down 64-62 coupled with a 2-for-n start, with four minutes and 55 sec- coupled with Nevill's foul onds left, exterminating any trouble, coupled with...you chance of Utah knotting it up get the picture. or taking the lead. "That's not the team toArizona ran off eight night I saw on tape for 10,12 straight points and that was games, and you've got to give that. them credit for that," said head coach Jim Boylen. As bitter as the pill might taste, the Utes' first time Arizona never let off the dancing since 2005 was over gas pedal for 40 minutes and before it started. rode its three stars to victory, but for Utah, an era hit Utah was outplayed, a screeching halt in South outhustled, outmanned and outhearted by a team that was Beach. better prepared and better There will be no more of equipped to win an NCAA Borha's catchy smiles, no Tournament basketball game. more Green from 28 feet out, no more Tyler Kepkay keepIt was like an actioning his team above water— packed, shoot 'em-up film starring Clive Owen, Brad Pitt as he did against Arizona, playing his best game as a Ute and Johnny Depp going up against a B-list romantic com- when it truly mattered. edy starring Freddie Prinze Jr. Alas, no more Nevill. No and seeing which would come more double-doubles, no out of the box office weekend more sky hooks, no more a winner. diluted foul trouble. There was no contest. Next year will bring a Brown and Luka Drca plethora of new faces to the looked as if they were playing hill and the leadership task with secured blindfolds, and will befall unto the shoulders the Wildcats proved they did of the talented, athletic and all their homework and then turnover-prone tandem of some by forcing Luke Nevill Drca and Brown, into two quick fouls. Utah will have its hands Utah never had a shot—not full next season with yet anwith its two best playmakother tough non-conference ers seemingly MIA for the schedule and Boylen will evening and its 7-foot 2-inch have the daunting task of Aussie riding pine next to the breaking in more than a handlikes of Josh Sharp and Chris ful of newbies. Although the Hines. loss is no doubt a disappoint: ment, it was the play of his Jordan Hill took the cake seniors that will forever reign of the big man showdown by finishing with 17 points and 13 boards and a few thunderous See KAMRANI Page 10 |