UCLA women lose to Utah on Allisa Pili’s late layup

SALT LAKE CITY — Alissa Pili drove to the rim for a go-ahead layup with 0.8 seconds left to give No. 9 Utah a 71-69 win over No. 8 UCLA on Sunday.

Pili scored 23 points and had nine rebounds to lead Utah (18-2, 8-2 in the Pac-12), which rallied twice closed the game on a 7-0 run. Issy Palmer tallied 14 points and five assists for the Utes, and Dasia Young chipped in 11 points.

Emily Bessoir scored 17 points and had six rebounds to lead UCLA (17-5, 6-4). Kiki Rice added 11 points, and Londyn Jones and Gabriella Jaquez chipped in 10 points apiece.

Utah trailed most of the first half, struggling with turnovers, but climbed ahead of UCLA 48-43 early in the third quarter on a 12-4 run, capped by Pili’s back-to-back baskets.

The Bruins countered with four unanswered baskets, with Bessoir and Jones combining to make three 3-pointers and fueling a 13-0 spurt that gave UCLA a 56-48 lead late in the third quarter.

But in the fourth quarter, the Bruins shot just 3-of-13 from the field and Utah rallied again. Pili buried a 3-pointer to tie it at 69 with 40.3 seconds left.

The Bruins countered Utah’s dominance in the paint by relentlessly attacking from the perimeter, which paid off until the final minutes. UCLA shot 9-for-20 from 3-point range.

The Utes’ persistent turnovers sapped offensive momentum at multiple junctures. Utah committed 16 turnovers, leading to 17 points for the Bruins.

UCLA hosts Arizona on Friday.

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