Utah’s season comes to an end with WBIT loss against Eastern Kentucky
Colonels dominate second half to knock No. 1 seed Utes out of tournament.
Utah forward Chyra Evans drives to the hoop against Arizona during the Utes' 81-67 win at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. | Brandon Judd, Deseret News A recurring theme that has plagued the Utah women’s basketball team this season — poor third quarters — was the case again Thursday, and this time, it ended the Utes’ season.
Utah couldn’t hold onto a 34-29 halftime lead and fell to Eastern Kentucky 72-58 in the first round of the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament at Baptist Health Arena in Richmond, Kentucky. Though Utah (19-13) was one of four No. 1 seeds in the 32-team WBIT field, the Utes played at the Colonels’ home court due to a facility conflict at the Huntsman Center.
A critical moment in Thursday’s matchup came with Utah holding a 44-40 lead with just over three minutes to play in the third. Eastern Kentucky’s Althea Kara Angeles grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed 3, and Liz Freihofer capped the second chance with a 3-pointer to make it a one-point game. That proved to be a catalyst as part of the Colonels’ 13-2 run to end the third quarter, flipping a six-point deficit into a five-point lead going into the final period.
Eastern Kentucky (25-8) held onto the lead throughout the fourth quarter and eventually pushed its advantage out to double-digits with a 10-1 run, making it 63-51 with 4:35 to play, and the Colonels never let Utah seriously challenge to come back. Eastern Kentucky outscored the Utes 43-24 in the second half. Utah looked like it might be headed to victory midway through the second quarter, when Gavin Petersen’s squad built a 28-18 lead despite some early turnover troubles.