Utah women’s basketball ended its 2025-26 season on March 19 with a 72-58 loss to Eastern Kentucky in the first round of the Women’s Basketball Invitational.
The defeat concludes Utah’s season with a 19-13 overall record. Senior Lani White led the Utes with 20 points, while junior Chyra Evans recorded a double-double, contributing 13 points and 13 rebounds.
White opened the game strongly, scoring 11 of Utah’s first 15 points and making three shots from beyond the arc. The Utes finished the first quarter ahead, leading EKU by six points. They maintained their advantage into halftime, holding a five-point lead at the break.
However, Eastern Kentucky took control in the third quarter with a decisive 16-3 run, outscoring Utah by ten points during that period. The Colonels extended their lead in the fourth quarter as Utah struggled to regain momentum and ultimately could not close the gap.
In addition to White and Evans’ performances, Reese Ross contributed significantly on defense with 11 rebounds. Evans and Maty Wilke each added four assists for Utah. Statistically, Utah shot 40 percent from the field compared to EKU’s nearly 42 percent. From three-point range, Utah made five of twenty attempts while EKU converted ten of twenty-eight tries. At the free throw line, both teams were similar in accuracy.
Despite dominating rebounding with a total of forty-two boards against EKU’s thirty-two, Utah was unable to overcome its second-half struggles. The team also recorded sixteen assists on twenty-two made field goals.
