Flurry of Threes Lead Utah Women's Basketball Past Cal State Fullerton
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah women's basketball team hit a flurry of threes in a 100-45 victory over Cal State Fullerton on Friday night at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. The Utes hit 15 threes, the fourth straight game with 12 or more three-pointers.
Four Utes (7-2) scored in double-figures on the night, with Jenna Johnson with a career-high 23 points. Brynna Maxwell scored 17 points for the Utes, while Isabel Palmer and Peyton McFarland respectively scored 16 and 15 points. Palmer and McFarland set career-highs. This was the sixth game this season making ten or more threes.
The Utes got off to a fast start as they scored the first eight points of the game, led by Jenna Johnson's five points. Utah continued to roll in the first quarter, and with 4:41 left in the quarter, a layup by Gianna Kneepkens put the Utes ahead by 11, 14-3. Utah continued to extend the lead, and after a three by Isabel Palmer, Utah led by 18, 26-8. The Utes led 28-13 after the first.
After her second three of the game, Palmer stretched the lead to 20, 35-15, in the second quarter. The Utes continued rolling in the first half, and a driving layup by Peyton McFarland gave the Utes a 44-17 lead midway through the quarter. The lead grew to 36, 55-19, heading into halftime after a Brynna Maxwell three. The three was her third of the game, which moved her into 10th all-time on the career three list at Utah. The Utes defense was dominant as they limited the Titans to six points in the second quarter.
The Utes opened the second half by extending the lead to 43, 64-21, over the first 1:15 of the third quarter after a three-pointer by Andrea Torres. The lead continued to grow for the Utes as Palmer recorded an old-fashion three-point play. The hot shooting Utes continued to extend the lead to 48, 81-33 after a McFarland layup.
Looking for their third 100-point game of the season, the Utes needed 16 points to hit the century mark. Utah came out and continued their hot shooting in the fourth quarter, and Maxwell hit another three, extending Utah's lead to 89-40. The scoring continued, and a layup by McFarland gave the Utes 100 point. Utah came away with a 100-45 victory.
GAME LEADERS
The Utes had four players score in double-figures on the night, with three of the four setting career-highs. Jenna Johnson led the team with 23 points, while Brynna Maxwell, Isabel Palmer, and Peyton McFarland scored 17, 16, and 15 points respectfully. Johnson led the Utes with ten rebounds, while Inês Vieira dished out six assists against the Titans.
TALKING ABOUT THE GAME: HEAD COACH LYNNE ROBERTS
"That was fun. It's hard to maintain intensity when you have a significant lead, but we shared the ball and made some shots. I thought it was a really good game for Isabel Palmer. I thought she was great and showed what she could do, and had a great breakout game. Payton did a nice job going 7-for-7 from the field, and I thought Andrea (Torres) did a nice job in the starting lineup. We had a couple of starters out for tonight, so good job by her. Then Jenna Johnson was really good. She drew eight fouls, had 23 points, ten rebounds, and she's only a freshman."
STANDOUT STAT
Utah's Jenna Johnson led the Utes on the night against the Titans. Johnson picked up her first double-double of the season. She scored a career-high 23 points while picking up a career-high ten rebounds. She went six-for-ten from the floor, including hitting a career-high three threes.
UP NEXT
Utah returns to action on Saturday, December 18, when they play host to Utah Valley at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. MT. The game will be aired on UtahUtes.com and on 105.5 KOOL FM.
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