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Utah women’s basketball defeats Arizona State Sun Devils

Utah women’s basketball defeats Arizona State Sun Devils

Ahead of Utah’s first Big 12 conference game, head coach Gavin Petersen challenged his team.

Unlike most conference games, the Utes played their first game against Arizona State before a 10-day break Saturday night.

He really wanted to see how badly Utah wanted to get a win.

“It’s a challenge to stay focused,” Petersen said, “to play together, to play hard and to leave everything aside before we go on Christmas break.”

The Utes (10-2, 1-0 Big 12) earned their first Big 12 victory with a dominant 102-82 victory over a former Pac-12 foe in the Sun Devils. Not only did they respond to Petersen’s challenge, but the Utes dominated every facet of the game.

Utah topped Arizona State 43 to 28. It also won the passing battle, recording 25 assists to ASU’s 15.

Junior guard Gianna Kneepkens led all Utah scorers with 24 points on an efficient 7-of-12 shooting clip. She also added six rebounds and six assists to her stat line.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah coach Gavin Petersen as Utah hosts Arizona State, NCAA basketball in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024.

She’s excited to be able to enjoy a win without a loss lingering on her mind during the holidays.

“I think it’s always great to come away with a win before the break,” Kneepkens said. “You can kind of sit back and enjoy Christmas a little more because you don’t have that victory anymore. I think it’s a good physics test.

“But yeah, it’s always good to get a win under your belt.”

Utah had a strong performance from its bench in the win.

The Utes’ backups had 38 points to ASU’s 20. Freshman forward Reese Ross finished with a season-high 19 points, five rebounds and a block on the night.

It’s the fifth time this season she’s scored in double figures off the bench, bringing her season average to 10.2 points per game.

“I have the utmost confidence in our bench,” Petersen said. “I’m really lucky to have a bench that can come in, and we don’t have a drop-off.”

Utah’s next game is a road matchup against Arizona at noon MT on Dec. 31 in Tuscon.

And, with a break coming up, the Utes expect to enter their second game with a boost of confidence and some much-needed rest.

“We’ll be ready for Arizona when (that game) comes,” Kneepkens said.