Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball versus Western Colorado (EXHIBITION) on October 27, 2025 at TBD
TBD
Women's Basketball
vs Western Colorado (EXHIBITION)
Sunday, December 18
Duel in the Desert - Las Vegas, Nev.
2:30 PM
University of Utah
55
at
68
Notre Dame
No. 21 Utah Women Fall to No. 13 Notre Dame
12/18/2005 12:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 18, 2005
LAS VEGAS -- Five Notre Dame players finished in double figures in Saturday's Duel in the Desert tournament championship contest against Utah. That balanced attack and a strong second-half effort led the No. 13 Fighting Irish to a 68-55 victory over the No. 21 Utes.
Utah (7-2) trailed 26-25 at halftime. The contest remained tight through the first 10 minutes of the second half. The Utes grabbed a one-point lead, 39-38, when Shona Thorburn hit a layup at the 9:54 mark. It was Utah's only lead of the contest.
Notre Dame (8-1) answered Thorburn's bucket with an 11-1 run, which put the Irish in control. That spurt put Notre Dame up 49-40 with 6:50 remaining in the contest. Two minutes later Megan Duffy hit a three-pointer for the Irish to push the lead into double digits for the first time, 54-42.
Kim Smith scored the next five points for Utah, hitting a layup and a three-pointer on consecutive possessions. Smith pulled Utah within seven points, 54-47, with 3:24 remaining. But that's as close as the Utes would get. Notre Dame scored the next seven points to push its lead back into double digits, 61-47, at the 1:40 mark.
The Irish converted 10-of-15 at the free-throw line over the final two minutes to ice the victory. Notre Dame enjoyed a 20-10 scoring advantage in the paint. The Irish also out-rebounded the Utes by a 43-30 margin. It was the first time in seven games that Utah had lost the battle on the boards.
Melissa D'Amico led Notre Dame with 13 points. Lindsay Schrader had a double-double for the Irish with 10 points and 10 rebounds. In all, five Notre Dame players scored in double figures.
Utah was led by Smith's 18 points. Smith was named to the all-tournament team as the Utes' lone representative. Thorburn added 16 points and a team-high nine rebounds. The senior duo accounted for the only Utah players to score in double figures.
Utah will be back in action on the road Wednesday. The Utes travel to face Eastern Michigan in Ypsilanti, Mich. Tipoff for that contest with the Eagles is set for 7 p.m. EST.
-UU-
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballFan Fest 2025 Coaches and Players Interviews: Women's Basketball
Sunday, August 17
Utah Women's Basketball: 76 - BYU: 73 | Postgame Press Conference
Saturday, March 01
Utah vs BYU - The Rivalry Continues
Saturday, March 01
Utah Women's Basketball: 46 - West Virginia: 75 | Postgame Press Conference
Thursday, February 27