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The razor-thin difference between the BYU and Utah women's basketball teams was revealed during the final chaos that marked the closing seconds of Saturday's physical clash inside the Huntsman Center.
"They know how to win," said coach Jeff Judkins of his Cougars, who escaped with a 61-58 victory, their seventh straight, to maintain their lead in the Mountain West Conference. "Knowing how to win is important."
It is a lesson the young Utes continue to absorb. A furious Utah comeback sliced a 14-point Cougar lead to three. Ute guard Janita Badon found the ball in her hands and a clear shot at a tying 3-pointer and no timeouts.
Instead, Baden thought she had seen the suddenly hot Iwalani Rodrigues in position to shoot. Rodrigues already had knocked down two 3s.
"Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone. I thought it was Iwa," said Baden, who finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Instead, it was forward Diana Rolniak, not a long-range threat. Eventually, Utah center Michelle Plouffe heaved up a prayer from about 25 feet.
"We didn't execute our inbounds play, and that cost us a timeout," Utah coach Anthony Levrets said. "We talk about the last play of the game, but we can talk about stuff all the way through. If we make our plays, the shot at the end is to win, not to tie."
Then again, if BYU makes a few free throws down the stretch, the finish would have been less stressful. With Coriann Fraughton causing matchup problems and scoring 20 points, the Cougars were in control much of the game.
When Haley Hall swished a 3-pointer midway through the second half, BYU owned a 50-36 lead.
Then Utah, which was shooting less than 30 percent for much of the afternoon, found the range.
The Utes shot 44 percent in the second half, led by Plouffe with 21 points.
"I knew I had to be aggressive," said Plouffe, Utah's go-to freshman. "BYU's defense was really solid. They made us take tough shots."
Women: BYU 61, Utah 58
R Utah wears purple T-shirts during warm-ups in support of BYU's Alexis Kaufusi, recently diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma.
• Utah takes nine more free throws than BYU, making 22 of 31, while BYU goes 14 of 22.
• BYU wins its seventh straight and 10th out its past 11. —
Photo gallery
O For more photos of the game, visit