Utah Women's Basketball Comeback Falls Short Against Iowa State

Utes mount fourth-quarter rally but can't overcome Cyclones' star Audi Crooks

Feb. 7, 2026 at 10:15pm

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Despite a strong fourth-quarter comeback effort, the Utah women's basketball team fell to Iowa State 79-72 on Saturday night. Utah moved to 16-8 overall and 7-5 in conference play, while Iowa State improved to 19-5 and also 7-5 in conference action. Utes players Chyra Evans and Evie Otto were tasked with defending Iowa State's star center Audi Crooks, who finished with 26 points after being held to just 2 in the first quarter. Utah's Reese Ross recorded a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds in the loss, while Lani White added 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists.

Why it matters

This was a tough conference loss for Utah, who was looking to build momentum heading into the final stretch of the regular season. The Utes' ability to mount a fourth-quarter comeback shows their resilience, but they ultimately couldn't overcome Crooks and the Cyclones. This game highlights the challenge Utah faces in competing with the top teams in the Big 12 conference.

The details

Utah did a good job limiting Crooks in the first half, but she erupted for 12 points in each of the second and fourth quarters to finish with 26. Utes players Chyra Evans and Evie Otto were the primary defenders on Crooks, and head coach Gavin Petersen was pleased with their efforts but felt the team could have applied more ball pressure. Utah's Reese Ross recorded her seventh career double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Lani White added 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists in the loss.

  • The game was played on Saturday, February 8, 2026.

The players

Audi Crooks

The star center for Iowa State, who finished the game with 26 points after being held to just 2 in the first quarter.

Chyra Evans

A Utah player who was one of the primary defenders on Crooks, finishing with 7 points, 3 rebounds, a team-high 4 assists, and 2 blocks.

Evie Otto

A Utah player who also helped defend Crooks, finishing with a career-high 10 assists, 6 points, and 2 steals.

Reese Ross

A Utah player who recorded a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds in the loss.

Lani White

A Utah player who had another double-digit scoring night with 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists.

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What they’re saying

“We gave them a lot to kind of handle, but it's not just one person. We could have had more ball pressure to maybe make those passes go offline. So there's a lot to it, but I am proud of them for just rolling up their sleeves and getting after it, and as I said, you don't stop her. You can hope to slow her down, but we weren't making her pay on the defensive end either, and that's where last year, when we beat them, we had a center who hit a few threes and kind of made her have to decide come a little further out, which opened up the rim. So that's something that we're going to have to continue to work on. So if we do see them, maybe in the Big 12 tournament, we'll be ready for that.”

— Gavin Petersen, Utah Head Coach

“I'm so impressed with Utah's team. They're so hard to guard. They do such a great job here. And not surprised at all that we had a chance to knock them out and couldn't do it. That's a credit to them. It's a credit to their coaches. But huge road win for us against a really, really good team that I don't think anyone's going to want to see in the NCAA Tournament.”

— Bill Fennelly, Iowa State Head Coach

“We really tried to commit to the no back cut first and then hopefully chase them off the line. You know, make their best shooters bounce it a little bit. And we were going to live with some under-ball screen pull-up threes, but they had some big ones. And again, to their credit, the comeback, we had a couple of brain cramps on the press, and then they made a couple of threes.”

— Bill Fennelly, Iowa State Head Coach

What’s next

The Utes will look to bounce back on Wednesday, February 11 when they travel to Tempe to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils in a crucial conference matchup.

The takeaway

This game showcased the competitiveness of the Utah women's basketball team, who were able to mount a strong fourth-quarter comeback against a tough Iowa State squad. While they ultimately fell short, the Utes proved they can hang with the top teams in the Big 12 and will look to build on this performance as they enter the final stretch of the regular season.