Utah women’s basketball gave unbeaten Arizona State everything it could handle before falling in thriller

Story byUtah forward Reese Ross dribbles the ball against Arizona State at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. | Liv MedivitzBrandon JuddThu, January 1, 2026 at 2:31 AM UTC·6 min readPunch. Counterpunch. Punch. Counterpunch. That could have described a showdown bout in Las Vegas, where the University of Utah football team was busy dominating Nebraska 44-22 in the Las Vegas Bowl on Wednesday afternoon. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBack in Salt Lake City, though, there was another thrilling match going on at the same time — this one between the Utah women’s basketball team and an undefeated Arizona State squad. It was a matchup that featured 20 lead changes, including four in the final 33 seconds alone. Unfortunately for the home team, the Utes came out on the short end of a 69-68 score, though arguably both teams can take away plenty of positives from the game. Utah coach Gavin Petersen even joked he’s going to enjoy watching the replay of it“What a way to close out 2025 in the Huntsman Center.