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How No. 18 Utah earned a historic road win at No. 7 USC

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How No. 18 Utah earned a historic road win at No. 7 USC


Utah picked an excellent time to earn its highest ranked road win in school history.

The No. 18 Utes beat No. 7 USC 74-68 at the Galen Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, bouncing back after a humbling 30-point loss at No. 12 UCLA just three days prior.

It is Utah’s fourth win of a top 10 opponent this season, which leads the country.

Utes head coach Lynne Roberts used the word toughness to describe what she saw out of her team in the victory over the Trojans.

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“We got our butts kicked on Thursday. We were embarrassed, we were ticked off and we hit some adversity tonight,” she said on the ESPN 700 postgame show.

“We found a way, we stuck together. … I thought we did a great job. So stinking proud of my team.”

“We found a way, we stuck together. … I thought we did a great job. So stinking proud of my team.” — Utah coach Lynne Roberts

Utah set the tone on defense, making the Trojans and freshman phenom JuJu Watkins fight for every bucket in a game the Utes led for more than 35 minutes.

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The result was a gritty victory that gave Utah (20-8, 10-6 Pac-12) a season sweep of USC (21-5, 11-5 Pac-12) and kept the Utes in position to potentially earn a top 4 seed in the upcoming Pac-12 tournament during the final week of the regular season.

Alissa Pili, who had a team-high 23 points for the Utes, scored their first seven points. Her jumper with 6:20 remaining in the first quarter gave the Utes a 4-2 lead and Utah never trailed again, though the Trojans twice tied the game in the third quarter.

Utah countered a 9-0 USC run in the third with an 8-0 run of its own to take back control, with Dasia Young scoring on a layup, followed by back-to-back 3-pointers from Kennady McQueen and Jenna Johnson, pushing the Utes back ahead by three possessions.

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The Utes, who shot 48.9% from the field for the game, then hit 6 of 9 field goals — including a pair of timely 3-pointers — and 10 of 16 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter to fend off the Trojans.

Utah did that largely without starting point guard Ines Vieira, who battled foul trouble much of the game and fouled out with 6:57 remaining. 

Jenna Johnson, who had a career-high nine assists, hit her second 3-pointer of the game with 7:46 remaining, giving Utah some breathing room after USC had cut its deficit to two.

The Utes’ final field goal of the night came four minutes later, when Pili drove into the lane and kicked out to Young for the 3-point bucket and a 64-57 Utah lead.

From there, Utah wrapped up the win at the free-throw line. For the game, the Utes made 17 of 25 from the charity stripe, including 12 of 14 from Pili.

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Even with Vieira’s foul troubles, the Utes were efficient on offense, assisting on 21 of their 23 made field goals.

The Utes also hit 11 of 27 3-pointers, much better than USC’s 4 of 20 shooting from 3-point range.

Utah’s defense, though, was a catalyst in the victory.

While Watkins scored a game-high 30 points, she made only 10 of 30 field goals and went 9 of 12 from the free-throw line.

“JuJu had 30 but it took her 30 shots,” Roberts said, “and we talked about in fact, before the game, I said, ‘She can have 30, we just can’t let the others get going.’”

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USC was held to 40.3% shooting, including 17.6% in the first quarter when Utah outscored the Trojans 14-6. The six first-quarter points was a season low for USC.

It was a true team effort for the Utes.

In addition to her 23 points, Pili had nine rebounds, a pair of steals and an assist in her first game inside the Galen Center since transferring from USC to Utah two years ago.

McQueen came up with several big plays on both ends of the court, finishing with 14 points (including a pair of 3-pointers), five rebounds, four assists, two steals and a blocked shot.

Two others — Young and Maty Wilke — overcame foul trouble to add 13 and 11 points, respectively.

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Wilke hit a team-high three 3-pointers, all in the second quarter.

“I thought Kennady played one of her best games … she was so good defensively, attacking,” Roberts said.

“Dasia came in, I mean what a week for Dasia. Those of us that know — fearless out there, rebounded, defended. Pili made her free throws. Just so stinking proud of our team.”

That sets Utah up with the chance to improve its seeding for the Pac-12 tournament in the regular season’s final week.

The Utes will host Washington State on Thursday (3 p.m. MST, Pac-12 Network) and Washington on Saturday (noon, Pac-12 Washington).

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Utah is all alone in sixth place in the Pac-12 standings as of now, though the loser of Monday’s game between No. 11 Colorado and No. 12 UCLA will be tied with Utah at 10-6 in conference play.

There will also be three teams — USC, Oregon State and the UCLA-Colorado winner — just one game ahead with 11-5 conference records.

“I’m gonna go celebrate with my team,” Roberts said as she signed off on the postgame show.





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White scores 25 to help Utah women hand No. 8 TCU its 1st loss, 87-77 in overtime

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White scores 25 to help Utah women hand No. 8 TCU its 1st loss, 87-77 in overtime


SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Lani White scored 25 points to lead Utah past No. 8 TCU 87-77 in overtime Saturday night.

Reese Ross added 15 points and Maty Wilke had 12 for the Utes. Evelina Otto finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. Utah (11-4, 2-1 Big 12) made 13 3-pointers and shot 56.5% from long distance.

Olivia Miles had 31 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to pace the Horned Frogs (14-1, 2-1). Marta Suarez added 23 points and 11 rebounds. TCU shot just 37% from the field, including 9 of 39 from 3-point range.

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White forced overtime by making a 3-pointer that tied it 67-all with 12 seconds left in regulation. Utah never trailed in OT and went up 76-69 with 2:47 left after White capped a 9-2 run with her fourth outside basket.

TCU used a 7-0 spurt to erase a four-point deficit in the final minute of the fourth quarter. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Suarez and Donovyn Hunter put TCU up 66-64 with 49 seconds remaining.

Ross had a chance to tie it on two free throws with 33.3 seconds left, but missed both. Miles made one of two foul shots with 22 seconds to go before White tied it.

Utah took advantage of cold shooting by the Horned Frogs to pull ahead in the third quarter. Back-to-back baskets from Suarez were TCU’s only field goals over an eight-minute stretch. The Utes scored on three straight possessions, culminating in a layup from Wilke, to take a 52-48 lead.

Miles made back-to-back baskets to put the Horned Frogs back up 58-56. Utah used a 7-0 run, punctuated by a 3-pointer from Ross, to go ahead 63-58 with 4:32 left in regulation.

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Up next

TCU hosts Oklahoma State on Wednesday.

Utah plays at Kansas on Wednesday.

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Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball.



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Judge files ruling allowing for appeal to Utah Supreme Court in redistricting case

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Judge files ruling allowing for appeal to Utah Supreme Court in redistricting case


The judge in Utah’s redistricting case filed a ruling making it possible for the Legislature to appeal to the Utah Supreme Court, but not without a strong rebuke of their process.

On Friday, Judge Dianna Gibson ruled partially in favor of the Legislature’s most recent request in the redistricting case, certifying its August 25th ruling as final in order to allow them to appeal to the Utah Supreme Court.

However, she strongly denied their request to enter a final judgment and end the case, saying, “This case is far from over.”

MORE | Utah Redistricting:

File – Utah Congressional Redistricting Maps (Image: KUTV)

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“Quite literally – this Court is between the proverbial rock and a hard spot. This entire case is not ‘final,’” Gibson wrote in the ruling. “But the Court agrees that the important legal issues decided by this Court and reflected in each of its rulings … should be reviewed by the Utah Supreme Court as quickly as possible.”

Gibson said it was the legislative defendant’s “duty to seek appellate review” regarding any of her interlocutory, or non-final orders, within 21 days of the rulings. She said they repeatedly claimed they would but never did.

Now, they are requesting she finalize the case, or at the very least one of her orders, to allow them to file an appeal.

Because Gibson does not want to delay appellate review, she agreed to certify the August 25, 2025 Ruling and Order as final.

“Every Utah voter, every Utah congressional candidate and arguably every Utah citizen is impacted by this case. Issuing a final ruling – on even a portion of this case – ultimately serves the public’s interest and will lead to a faster resolution of the entire case,” she wrote.

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The redistricting case dates back to 2018, when voters passed a ballot initiative to create a commission to redraw the congressional district boundaries.

State legislators repealed the ballot initiative in 2020, and attempted to draw their own congressional map the following year.

This prompted a lawsuit, which has led to several rulings, including the one on August 25th, which declared that the Utah Legislature violated voters’ rights by approving congressional boundaries that split Salt Lake County.

“Until there is a final decision on these legal issues from our Supreme Court, there will be a cloud on Utah’s congressional elections and an open question regarding the power of the Legislature and the power of the people,” Gibson wrote in her most recent ruling.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Utah man missing for 3 years presumed dead. What happened? – East Idaho News

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Utah man missing for 3 years presumed dead. What happened? – East Idaho News


SOUTH SALT LAKE (KSL) — Investigators believe a South Salt Lake man who disappeared in 2022 is likely dead, but they’re still trying to figure out what happened to him more than three years later.

“To my knowledge we don’t have one working theory as to whether it’s a homicide or a suicide or if he just completely went off the grid, essentially,” officer Shaun Ward said Monday.

But according to a recent search warrant affidavit filed in 3rd District Court, “There has been no financial or digital footprint indicating that (Cornelis ‘Casey’ Frederik Bokslag) is still alive. It is presumed he is deceased.”

Ward says the search warrant, filed in late November, is to look at Bokslag’s Google accounts, such as his email history, internet search history and location data. Investigators are hoping those records “might provide additional information about where Bokslag had been in the days and hours leading up to his disappearance as well as any correspondence, contacts, locations and a slew of other sources of information that could lead Investigators to the location of Bokslag’s body, which will allow us to determine if his disappearance was a result of suicide or foul play,” the warrant states.

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As of Monday, the request for that information from Google was still pending.

Ward, 30, was last seen on June 6, 2022. Police have recovered surveillance video of Bokslag leaving his apartment complex that day in his car by himself. He then went to an ATM in South Salt Lake and withdrew $100. Bokslag, a four-year Marine veteran who had worked for a watershed company since 2016, did not go to work that day, which family members, his employer and police said was highly unusual.

“Investigators eventually learned that Bokslag had taken the day off work and told friends and family that he was traveling to Evanston, Wyoming, to participate in the gay pride parade festivities,” according to the recently unsealed search warrant.

Hours after Bokslag was reported missing on June 8, 2022, his 2012 Suzuki SX4 was found by a passerby in Summit County, near the Castle Rock exit off I-80, about 18 miles west of the Wyoming border.

“It was discovered that the vehicle’s license plates were removed from the car. Meticulously, the screws were put back into the license plate frame, and the vehicle was essentially clean in nature,” police said at the time.

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The warrant further states that “there was a noticeable absence of fingerprints inside the vehicle. This was determined to be consistent with the interior having been wiped clean.

“Later, DNA swabs were taken and submitted for testing. They revealed two genetic profiles. One was matched to Bokslag by exemplar samples provided by the family. A second profile was identified. The profile was checked through the Combined DNA Index System, and no positive identification was made,” the warrant states.

Ward said Monday that investigators have done extensive searches around where Bokslag’s car was found in 2022, both on the ground and by drone. His residence was also searched, and a few items of potential evidence, such as Bokslag’s laptop, were seized.

A co-worker called Bokslag several times one night before he disappeared, according to cellphone records collected by investigators. Several witnesses told police that the co-worker and Bokslag “were up for the same promotion, but Bokslag was eventually selected for it, causing resentment. Those cellphone records also showed Bokslag’s phone being turned off at some point on June 6,” according to the warrant.

“A records check revealed that shortly after receiving numerous calls in one night from the hostile co-worker, and prior to being reported missing, Bokslag purchased a handgun in Salt Lake County along with two boxes of ammunition,” the warrant says.

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Ward did not have any additional information Monday about the co-worker, including whether police had questioned him or if he had been ruled out as a possible suspect.

A $50,000 reward is still being offered for information that leads to Bokslag being found. According to a web page set up by his family, Bokslag is 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighs about 140 pounds, has blond hair and gray eyes. He also had a goatee at the time of his disappearance. A missing persons poster is hanging in the lobby of the South Salt Lake Police Department with Bokslag’s information.

Anyone who has information on what may have happened to Bokslag or anyone who may have seen him is asked to call police at 801-840-4000. Ward says all tips will be investigated.

“Really, anything at this point. If they think that they saw him or have seen him recently, or if they have any information into his personal life that our investigators may not know … any information is welcome,” he said. “We want to bring closure to the family. The family still wants answers.”

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