This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Taryn Wicijowski is back.
It's taken 16 months, exhaustive rehabilitation from a torn ACL in her knee and more than a few moments of frustration. But the best player on the Utah women's team made her return to the game on Friday night against San Jose State.
And what a game it was. The Utes were extended to overtime by the Spartans in what turned out to be a 100-87 win at the Huntsman Center. But Wicijowski was the story.
The 6-foot-3 center scored 36 points. She grabbed 19 rebounds. She handed out three assists and blocked a shot. She even handled the ball against San Jose State's full court pressure. She may have sold popcorn in her spare time, but no word on that.
"I was nervous," Wicijowski said. "It's been a long time coming, and I'm just glad to be back. I think that I was able to get into a rhythm out there, and that felt really good. Eventually I started to get comfortable, and it was good to get the win."
For a while, it looked like a victory wouldn't come on this night for Utah. San Jose State staged a furious comeback in the second half, received 30 points and eight rebounds from Rebecca Woodberry and took an 83-81 lead with six seconds remaining.
But Wicijowski was fouled, stepped up to the free-throw line and hit two huge shots to tie the game. And once the Utes got to the extra session, they dominated. In the overtime, Utah scored 17 of the 21 points. The Utes repeatedly went inside to Wicijowski and the fifth year senior delivered, seemingly every time.
"I thought there was a lot of fight in this team tonight," Utah coach Anthony Levrets said. "This is as fast paced a team as we are going to play all season. The kids really hung in there, and we lost two starters to injury tonight. I thought the kids showed a lot of character."
Wicijowski was dominant, but the difference in this game is that she received plenty of help from her teammates. Sophomore guard Malia Nawahine scored 17 points and grabbed four rebounds. Freshman center Joeseta Fatuesi scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds in her collegiate debut. Senior forward Cheyenne Wilson came off the bench for 11 points.
Utah 100,
San Jose State 87
• Utah moves to 1-0 on the season.
• The Utes outscore San Jose State 17-4 in overtime.
• Taryn Wicijowski scored 36 points in her first game in over a year.