Box Score

SALT LAKE CITY -- A 10-0 run spanning the second and third quarters turned a 16-point deficit into just a five point gap early in the second half, but visiting UC Davis could not hold back host Utah on Tuesday night, as the Utes responded with a 19-4 burst over a six-minute span to break open the close contest en route to an 88-58 victory at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Aggies dropped their fourth straight contest to fall to .500 on the season at 6-6 heading into Thursday's New Year's Eve battle at Utah Valley at Noon PT in Orem, Utah. Powered by double-doubles from Emily Potter and Paige Cronzon, the Utes won their third straight to improve to 8-3 overall on the season.

Freshman Morgan Bertsch finished with a team-high 15 points to go with six rebounds in 26 minutes, and was joined in double figures by senior Alyson Doherty, who chipped in 12 points and four rebounds on 6-of-14 from the field. Kourtney and Karley Eaton provided a spark from long-range off the bench, combining for 6-of-8 from the field and 5-of-6 from beyond the arc to finish with nine points apiece.

Utah led wire-to-wire, and tried to pull away early only to have the Aggies punch back. A six-point deficit was whittled down to just two midway through the first quarter on back-to-back baskets by Doherty and Bertsch, and stayed that way until the Utes finished the period on a 6-0 run to lead by eight at the first break.

That lead grew to as many as 16 points with just over four minutes to go in the first half thanks to a 9-0 Utah run, but UC Davis made some noise to close the period as Karley Eaton nailed a pair of three-pointers, her sister, Kourtney, added another, and Doherty finished with a basket inside to close the half on an 8-0 run, pulling the Aggies to within 35-28 at halftime.

Sophomore Pele Gianotti extended the run to 10-0 with the opening basket of the second half, but that would be as close as the Aggies would get. Halftime adjustments by the Utes led to a 12-2 burst over the next three minutes, extending their lead back to 15 at 47-32 with 5:50 to play and Utah never looked back. The Utes outscored UC Davis, 28-9, over the final 7:11 of the third quarter to lead 63-39 en route to the win.

Potter finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds -- six of those on the offensive end -- to go with four blocks, shooting 8-of-17 from the field for the game, while Crozon added 10 points and 11 rebounds. Katie Kuklok added 15 points off the bench, finishing a perfect 6-for-6 from the field and 3-of-3 from long distance.

Utah shot just under 51 percent from the field to the Aggies' 39 percent, including 7-of-12 from long-distance. The Utes held a 47-28 advantage on the boards, including an 18-7 lead on the offensive end that lead to 20 second-chance points.

UTAH 88, UC DAVIS 58

UC DAVIS (6-6)
Bertsch, Morgan 5-9 5-7 15; Doherty, Alyson 6-14 0-0 12; Eaton, Karley 3-4 0-0 9; Eaton, Kourtney 3-4 1-1 9; Nafekh, Dani 1-5 3-4 5; Marfone, Celia 2-5 0-0 4; Gianotti, Pele 2-7 0-0 4; McGuire, Taylor 0-5 0-0 0; Johnson, Heidi 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 22-56 9-12 58.

UTAH (8-3)
Potter, Emily 8-17 6-8 22; Kuklok, Katie 6-6 0-0 15; Crozon, Paige 4-11 0-0 10; Nawahine, Malia 2-6 4-6 9; Rodriguez, Danielle 4-6 1-1 9; Fatuesi, Joeseta 3-6 1-2 7; Boclair, Tanaeya 2-6 1-2 5; Bean, Erika 2-2 0-0 4; Bowie, Gabrielle 2-4 0-0 4; Owens, Devri 1-2 0-0 3; Porter, Jordanna 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 34-67 13-19 88.

UC Davis...................... 13 15 11 19 - 58
Utah.......................... 21 14 28 25 - 88

3-point goals--UC Davis 5-18 (Eaton, Karley 3-4; Eaton, Kourtney 2-2; Nafekh, Dani 0-2; Marfone, Celia 0-2; Gianotti, Pele 0-2; McGuire, Taylor 0-3; Johnson, Heidi 0-2; Doherty, Alyson 0-1), Utah 7-12 (Kuklok, Katie 3-3; Crozon, Paige 2-3; Nawahine, Malia 1-2; Owens, Devri 1-2; Porter, Jordanna 0-1; Rodriguez, Danielle 0-1). Fouled out--UC Davis-None, Utah-None. Rebounds--UC Davis 28 (Bertsch, Morgan 6), Utah 47 (Potter, Emily 13). Assists--UC Davis 14 (Eaton, Kourtney 4), Utah 15 (Boclair, Tanaeya 3). Total fouls--UC Davis 16, Utah 14. Technical fouls--UC Davis-None. Utah-None. A-885