by NASSAU, The Bahamas – With a tie game and 0.6 second remaining, Kennady McQueen hit two free throws giving Utah a 69-67 victory over Ole Miss on Wednesday evening at the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship.
Alissa Pili (Inupiaq) led the Utes with 21 points and had nine rebounds in the win. Jenna Johnson (16 points) and Kennady McQueen, and Gianna Kneepkens (10 points) rounded out the double-figure scorers for the Utes. Johnson picked up her second double-double as she led the team with ten rebounds in the win.
Utah and Ole Miss were in a back-and-forth contest to open the game as each team traded buckets. With the game tied at 4-4, McQueen hit a three, Johnson made a layup, and Utah led 9-4. Utah would have the lead trimmed to three, but Utah would find a way to get it to five after a pair of free throws by Johnson. Over the quarter’s final minute, Utah and Ole Miss would trade buckets, and the Utes held a one-point lead, 20-19, after 10 minutes.
Over the first two and a half minutes of the second quarter, Utah stretched the lead to seven, 26-19, after an old fashion three-point play by Dasia Young. Following her hoop, Utah would go scoreless over the next three minutes, and the Rebels would come back and take the lead after a layup by Madison Scott. The contest would be tied at 31, right before half, but the Utes would go into halftime down two, 35-33.
Pili added four points opening the second half, and Utah held a two-point lead, 37-25. Ole Miss responded and regained the lead and grew the lead to five, 44-39, midway through the third quarter. Over the next three minutes, Utah tied the game at 46 after a Johnson free throw. The game would bounce back and forth, but the Utes found themselves down two, 52-50, after three-quarters of play.
With ten minutes to go in the game, Utah trailed by one, 55-54, after a Pili layup. Utah took the lead after a pair of free throws by Young, but the lead didn’t last long. The lead lasted ten seconds before Ole Miss hit two threes and held a five-point lead 61-56 with six minutes to go in the game.
Over the next two minutes, Utah held Ole Miss scoreless and scored four points, and trailed by one, 61-60. The lead remained one point before Isabel Palmer hit a three-pointer, putting Utah ahead by two, 65-63, with two minutes to go in the game. Pili added a layup putting Utah ahead by four, 67-63, the largest lead in the fourth quarter. Ole Miss battled back and tied the game at 67 with 20 seconds remaining. As the clock ran down, McQueen was fouled on a three-pointer with 0.6 seconds remaining. She went 2-for-3 on free throws, and Utah led by two, 69-67. Utah did not let Ole Miss get another look, and Utah came away with the 69-67 victory to close out the Bahamas trip.
