SALT LAKE CITY — Utah used a dominant second quarter to build a double-digit lead and held on in the second half to beat the Wildcats 65-47 at the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
Bethune-Cookman struggled to shoot the ball all night, going just 15-for-61 (24.6%) from the floor and shooting 24% from three-point range.
Utah (3-0) jumped out to an early 11-2 lead during the first five minutes of the game, but Bethune-Cookman fought back during the remainder of the quarter, using an 8-2 run to make it 13-10.
The Utes were dominant on the glass early, grabbing seven offensive rebounds in the first. But they were unable to take advantage, with zero second chance points despite a several extra shot attempts.
The Wildcats went just 4-for-13, but three-pointers by Akilah Shelton and Keiara Gregory helped them get back within striking distance.
The second quarter was controlled by Utah all the way. Mya Johson got B-CU within one on a layup before Shelton tied the game on a three-pointer. From there, the Utes outscored the Wildcats 17-2.
The Utes shot an ultra-efficient 9-for-12 from the floor and scored 12 points in the paint. After being held scoreless in the first, Lena Girardi scored seven in the second with perfect shooting (3-for-3).
In the third quarter, B-CU was able to cut the deficit to nine, but were unable to get any closer. By the end of the quarter, Utah was able to regain a comfortable advantage, leading by 17 heading into the fourth.
The Wildcats were excellent at taking care of the basketball and were nearly perfect at the free-throw line (7-of-8), but the Utes continued to score well in the paint while holding B-CU to 21.4% shooting.
Bethune-Cookman was unable to get within single digits in the fourth, despite an onslaught of three-point attempts. The Wildcats shot just 2-for-10 from downtown in the period as Utah was able to hold on for the Win.
- Amiyah Ferguson led the Wildcats with 10 points.
- Akilah Shelton made two three-pointers and had four blocks.
- Utah dominated the paint, outscoring B-CU 38-16.
- Bethune-Cookman finished with just nine turnovers.
- The Wildcats went 11-for-14 from the free-throw line (78.6%).
Game two of the Utah trip is set for Wednesday afternoon against BYU. Tipoff is at 1 p.m. EST.
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