Utah coach Lynne Roberts guessed eight. Senior forward Daneesha Provo came closer, suggesting 12.
The actual number was 13; that's how many layups the Ute women's basketball team made Monday night before hitting any longer shot in an 89-62 win over Seattle at the Huntsman Center.
The shot chart was mostly encouraging, rather than discouraging – even if all those layups gave the Utes only a 29-21 lead at that stage of their sixth straight win to start the season. Roberts liked her team's inside success, and the outside shots eventually started falling.
Both parts of the offensive strategy worked for Provo, who scored a career-high 27 points. Her five steals also were a career best. Coaches like to say the game rewards players for their efforts at both ends of the court, and Provo's teammates kept feeding her.
“The defense is probably the thing that got me going, finding my rhythm,” Provo said. “My shot wasn't falling, so being more aggressive and attacking the basket really helped a lot.”
Provo made three 3-pointers in the second half; the Utes finished 7 of 26 against Seattle (0-6), a Western Athletic Conference team known for defending the 3-point line well. Utah exploited the Redhawks inside all night, with senior forward Megan Huff scoring all of her 23 points in three quarters, as the Utes led 73-46. Huff appeared briefly in the fourth period, grabbing her 12th rebound.
Freshman forward Dre'Una Edwards added 12 points for Utah and guards Dru Gylten and Erika Bean scored nine points each. Gylten, a redshirt freshman, had 11 assists.
Roberts appreciated her players' willingness to “give up a good three to get a great layup,” she said. “The movement and passing [showed] really good discipline.”
The Utes will continue their four-game homestand Saturday against Utah Valley, another WAC school. Tipoff is at 5:30 p.m., following the Utah-Tulsa men’s game at 3 p.m.
