Utah Women’s Basketball Upsets No. 8 TCU, Football Staffs Reshape
The latest weekend in Utah sports brought a flurry of thrilling basketball wins and some eye-catching coaching shake-ups. There’s a real sense that college athletics in the state are about to look a bit different.
Utah women’s basketball pulled off an overtime stunner against No. 8 TCU. Meanwhile, Utah State and Arizona men’s teams delivered standout performances, and coaching staffs shuffled across the board.
Utah Women’s Basketball Team Upsets No. 8 TCU
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Utah women’s basketball took down No. 8 TCU with an 87-77 overtime win. Lani White led the way, pouring in 25 points.
With just 12 seconds left, White nailed a clutch three-pointer to tie the game at 67. That shot forced overtime, and Utah never looked back from there.
Key Players and Statistics
Reese Ross chipped in with 15 points. Maty Wilke added 12, and Evelina Otto put up 10 points and grabbed eight boards.
The Utes caught fire from deep, draining 13 threes and hitting a wild 56.5% from long range. That kind of shooting? Hard to beat.
- Lani White: 25 points
- Reese Ross: 15 points
- Maty Wilke: 12 points
- Evelina Otto: 10 points, 8 rebounds
TCU’s Olivia Miles did everything she could, dropping 31 points with seven rebounds and seven assists. Marta Suarez added 23 points and 11 rebounds, but it just wasn’t enough.
TCU struggled from three, making only 9 of 39 attempts. That cold shooting really hurt them in the end.
Utah State Men’s Basketball Secures Victory Over San Jose State
Utah State men’s basketball took down San Jose State, 96-78. MJ Collins Jr. led the charge with 23 points, shooting efficiently all night.
Mason Falslev and Garry Clark backed him up, scoring 17 and 16 points. The Aggies just kept finding ways to score.
Game Highlights and Key Moments
Utah State broke things open in the second half with a 9-0 run. That run flipped a two-point deficit and gave them control.
Collins Jr. scored 12 of his 23 points in that second half. He really showed up when it mattered most.
- MJ Collins Jr.: 23 points, 6 for 11 shooting, 4 for 7 from 3-point range
- Mason Falslev: 17 points
- Garry Clark: 16 points
San Jose State’s Jermaine Washington led his team with 18 points. Colby Garland and Melvin Bell Jr. chipped in with 17 and 13 points, but the Spartans couldn’t keep up.
Arizona Remains Undefeated with Win Over Utah
No. 1 Arizona stayed perfect, beating Utah 97-78. Tobe Awaka and Jaden Bradley each scored 18 points to lead a balanced attack.
Awaka grabbed 12 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. Arizona just looked locked in from the jump.
Dominant Performance by Arizona
The Wildcats raced out to a 27-10 lead and never really let up. Awaka hit a three and grabbed four offensive rebounds during that early blitz.
Arizona crushed Utah on the glass, out-rebounding them 43-30. That’s just tough to overcome.
- Tobe Awaka: 18 points, 12 rebounds
- Jaden Bradley: 18 points
- Brayden Burries: 17 points, 11 rebounds
Utah’s Terrence Brown tried to keep them in it with 26 points. Don McHenry and Keanu Dawes each added 15, but the Utes just couldn’t match Arizona’s firepower.
Coaching Staff Changes in Utah’s College Football Programs
Utah’s college football programs saw some big changes on the coaching front. Kyle Whittingham took the Michigan job, and that kicked off a wave of moves across the state.
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University of Utah’s New Appointments
The University of Utah promoted Colton Swan to defensive coordinator after seven years coaching linebackers. On offense, new head coach Morgan Scalley brought in Kevin McGiven from Utah State as offensive coordinator.
McGiven has been calling plays or coaching quarterbacks in Division I for 17 years. That’s a lot of experience to draw on.
Utah State’s New Offensive Coordinator
Utah State filled McGiven’s spot by hiring Robert Anae, a longtime colleague of head coach Bronco Mendenhall.
Anae previously ran offenses at BYU and Virginia. The Aggies hope his experience pays off in a big way.
Additional Coaching Changes
Former first-round NFL draft pick Jordan Gross is coming back to the University of Utah to coach the offensive line. Gross played for Utah from 1999 to 2002 and spent 11 seasons in the NFL with Carolina.
He recently coached at Fruitland High School in Idaho. Now, he’ll help develop incoming freshman lineman and five-star recruit Kelvin Obot.
- Colton Swan: Defensive Coordinator, University of Utah
- Kevin McGiven: Offensive Coordinator, University of Utah
- Robert Anae: Offensive Coordinator, Utah State
- Jordan Gross: Offensive Line Coach, University of Utah
Chad Bumphis also joins Utah as receivers coach. He coached at Utah in 2021 and 2022, then spent the last three seasons at Mississippi State.
If you want more coverage or updates on these stories, you can check out the Standard-Examiner.