Women's Basketball Falls to Oklahoma

NORMAN, Okla. – The Utah women's basketball team closed out its non-conference schedule on Tuesday night as it was defeated by Oklahoma 83-76 at the Lloyd Noble Center. 
 
Gianna Kneepkens led the Utes (8-3) in scoring with 19 points. Peyton McFarland and Isabel Palmer rounded out the double-figure scorers with 14 and 10 points, respectfully. McFarland led the team with 11 rebounds, as she picked up her first double-double of the season. Utah made nine three-pointers against the Sooners (10-1). 
 
The Sooners came out and scored the first six points of the game before a layup by Dru Gylten got the Utes going. After a Jenna Johnson layup, Utah had the lead down to three, 9-6. The Utes, Inês Vieira, and Isabel Palmer hit back-to-back threes, and the Sooner lead was down to one, 15-14. Utah took its first lead of the game after a three by Andrea Torres by two, 19-17, with 2:17 left in the quarter. A Peyton McFarland layup but the Utes ahead 23-17. The Sooners closed out the quarter by scoring the final five points, and Utah led 23-22 after one-quarter of play. 
 
Opening the second quarter, the Utes scored the first five points on a layup by Dasia Young and a three-pointer by Gianna Kneepkens. The Utes continued to grow the lead and stretched the lead to double-digits, 34-24, after a jumper by Isabel Palmer. Oklahoma slowly looked as if they would trim the Utes lead, but five straight points by Palmer for Utah extended the lead to 12 points, 42-30. The Sooners scored the final two points of the half, and Utah went into halftime, leading 42-32. 
 
After halftime, the Utes came out and grew the lead to 16 points, 48-32, after back-to-back threes by Brynna Maxwell. The lead continued to grow in the first two minutes of the quarter after back-to-back Utah layups put the Utes ahead 52-33. With Utah ahead by 19, the Sooners answered back and trimmed the lead down to 10, 54-44, with 4:40 to go in the third quarter. After three-quarters of play, the Utes held onto a double-digit lead and led 62-51. 
 
Oklahoma came out over the first 2:30 of the fourth quarter and scored eight straight points and had the Utah lead down to three, 62-59, with 7:39 left in the game. Oklahoma continued to score and took the lead after an old-fashion three-point lead. The Utes and Sooners would follow by trading buckets, but the Sooners stretched the lead to six, 75-69, with 2:22 to go in the game. The Utes got the game down to two points, but that would be as close as they would be as they would fall to Oklahoma, 83-76.
 
STANDOUT STAT
Utah's Peyton McFarland came off the bench and picked up her first double-double of the season. She scored 14 points in the contest and collected 11 rebounds. Four of her rebounds came on the offensive end of the floor. She made her first four shots of the game and shot 7-of-12 from the floor in the game. 
 
UP NEXT
On Friday, Dec. 31, Utah returns to action when they head to Eugene, Ore., to open Pac-12 play against Oregon. The Utes and Ducks tip at 8 p.m. MT on the Pac-12 Networks. 
 
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