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Utah women's basketball coach Lynne Roberts has slammed "racial hate crimes" that her team allegedly experienced at a hotel in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. In a postgame interview following Utah's loss to Gonzaga on Monday, Roberts dropped a bold statement about the incident.
“For our players and staff to not feel safe in an NCAA Tournament environment, it’s messed up,” she said.
The coach added that the team was upset and stunned by what had transpired in the hotel on Thursday night.
“We had several instances of some kind of racial hate crimes toward our program and (it was) incredibly upsetting for all of us,” Roberts said after the loss. “In our world, in athletics and in university settings, it’s shocking. There’s so much diversity on a college campus and so you’re just not exposed to that very often.”
While Lynne Roberts did not provide any specifics of the alleged incident, she said the team moved into a different hotel on Friday.
Utah deputy athletics director Charmelle Green said that the team's entourage was in shock with the events that unfolded that day:
“We all just were in shock, and we looked at each other like, did we just hear that? … Everybody was in shock — our cheerleaders, our students that were in that area that heard it clearly were just frozen. I was just numb the entire night.”
Meanwhile, Gonzaga released a statement saying that the school regrets the incident:
“We are frustrated and deeply saddened to know that what should always be an amazing visitor and championship experience was in any way compromised by this situation, for it in no way reflects the values, standards, and beliefs to which we at Gonzaga University hold ourselves accountable.”
Per reports, the NCAA and Gonzaga assisted the Utes in finding a new hotel.
Also Read: WATCH: Utah locker room erupts with excitement following upset against JuJu Watkins' USC
Utah ends 2024 Women's March Madness journey with a loss to Gonzaga
Utah's run in the 2024 NCAA women's basketball tournament came to a close as the Utes lost 77-66 to Gonzaga.
The Utes battled from a 21-point deficit to pull within six points of the Bulldogs' lead. However, Gonzaga successfully fended off the late assault to secure a Sweet 16 berth.
They will meet top-seed Texas in the Portland regional semifinal on Friday in Portland, Oregon.
Kayleigh Truong led the offense for the fourth-seeded Bulldogs with 21 points, while Yvonne Ejim added a double-double of 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Alissa Pili led Utah with 35 points in her last game for the team. It was the fifth 30-point outing of the season for Pili, who scored the first 10 points of the contest for the Utes, who ended the season with a 23-11 record.
Kennady McQueen added 12 points, and Dasia Young contributed 11 for the Utes, who will need to find a new offensive weapon to replace Pili for the 2024-25 season.
