Women's Basketball To Open Bahamas Trip Monday Against Alabama
THE GAME
The No. 25 Utah Utes are set to open the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championships on Monday afternoon when they take on Alabama. The contest will be held at the Baha Mar Convention, Arts & Entertainment Center, with tipoff set for 12:30 p.m. MT.
MONDAY'S MATCHUP
Date | Time: Monday, Nov. 21 | 12:30 p.m. (MT)
#25 Utah (4-0) vs. Alabama (2-1)
Location: Nassau, The Bahamas | Baha Mar Convention, Arts & Entertainment Center
Live Stats: Click Here
Live Video: Click Here
Live Audio: Click Here
HOW TO TUNE IN
The game against Alabama will be aired on FloHoops with Sam Hyman and Ashlee Jones on the call. Fans can also tune into ESPN700 and listen to Tyson Ewing calling the shots. Live stats can be found at UtahUtes.com.
SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets for the 2022-23 season are now available. Floor seats are priced at $100, while general admission tickets at $25. Call the Utah ticket office at 801-581-UTIX or visit www.UtahTickets.com.
OPENING TIP
• The Utes tied its program record for points in a game with 124 in a win over No. 16 Oklahoma on Wednesday night. The last time scored 124 points was on March 24, 1979, against Northern Arizona. Utah averages 102.0 points per game, the second most in the nation.
• Sharing is caring! The Utes have dished out 98 assists this season and are averaging 24.5 assists per game. This is the second-best mark in the nation and the best mark in the Pac-12. Utah has dished out 29 or more assists in the last two games, including a season-best 33 against No. 16 Oklahoma. Utah has assisted on 67.5 percent of their field goals this season. Every Utah player has an assist this season.
• Utah defeated No. 16 Oklahoma by 46 points on Wednesday night at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. The 46 points are the largest win margin by the Utes against an AP Top 25 team. This is also the largest victory for a Pac-12 team against a ranked team since 1999-00.
• For the first time since Feb. 4, 2019, the Utah women's basketball team is in the AP Top 25 Poll. Utah came in at No. 25 in the first regular-season edition of the poll. They are one of four Pac-12 teams in the AP Top 25.
• The Utes had two players earn national preseason award watch lists. Sophomore Gianna Kneepkens was named to the Jersey Mike's Naismith Award Watch List (top player in the nation) and the Cheryl Miller Award Watch List (top small forward in the nation). Her teammate Alissa Pili was named to the Katrina McClain Award Watch List (top power forward in the nation).
NEXT UP
Utah returns to action on Wednesday, Nov. 23, when it takes on Ole Miss to close out the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championships. The Utes take on Ole Miss at 5 p.m. MT from the Bahamas. Tyson Ewing will have the call of the contest on ESPN700. Live Stats can be found at UtahUtes.com.
TEAM NOTES
• Utah scored a season-high 124 points in the win Wednesday evening against No. 16 Oklahoma. Utah has scored 80 or more points in all four games this season, averaging 102.0 points per game, the second-best in the nation and the best mark in the Pac-12. Last season, the Utes led the Pac-12 in scoring, averaging 75.9 points per game.
• Since the 2019-20 season, the Utes have scored 80 or more points in 21 games and are 19-2 in those games. This includes a 124-78 victory over No. 16 Oklahoma on Nov. 16 and an 85-79 win over No. 15 Oregon State on Dec. 8, 2020.
• Utah has hit eight or more threes in 89 games under the direction of Lynne Roberts, going 64-25 in those games. The Utes made 8+ threes three times this year as they hit 11 against Utah Valley (Nov. 7), 17 threes against Southeastern Louisiana (Nov. 13), and 13 threes against No. 16 Oklahoma (Nov. 16). The 17 made threes in a game are the second most in school history and the fourth most in an NCAA game this season.
• Since the 2015-16 season, when coach Lynne Roberts took over the program, the Utes are 44-5 when scoring 80 or more points in a contest. In the 49 games where Utah scores over 80 points, the Utes average 10.1 made three-pointers a game.
• Sophomore Kennady McQueen is one of the best three-point shooters in the country, and she has shown that this season over the first three games. Over her career with Utah, McQueen has made three or more threes in 13 games. Over these 13 games, Utah is 11-2. In those 13 games, McQueen is shooting 55.4 percent from downtown. She has made three or more threes in three of the four games this season.
• The Utes locked down on the defensive end of the court against Utah Valley. The Utes forced 32 turnovers, the most in program history since 1990-00. Utah is forcing 19.5 turnovers per game, the third most in the Pac-12. They forced turnovers and limited the Wolverines to 27 points for the game. This is the seventh-fewest allowed in a game this season.
• Sophomore Gianna Kneepkens scored in double-figures in 22 of the 37 career games she has played in. She scored 21 points in the win over No. 16 Oklahoma on Wednesday night. This was her first time over 20 points this season.
• The Utes had a 21-win season last year. This was the first time since 2018-19 and the 29th 20-win season in program history.
• Junior Alissa Pili made an immediate impact as she scored 27 points on 12-of-14 shooting in the season opener against Idaho. Her 27 points are the 6th most scored by a player in their first game with a team dating back to the 1999-00 season. She is shooting 69.6 percent from the floor this season, the 20th-best mark in the nation.
• Utah collected 60 rebounds in the win over Idaho. This was the first time the Utes had 60 or more rebounds in a single game since Nov. 14, 2014, when they collected 63 rebounds against San Jose State. Utah averages 47.5 rebounds per game, the second most in the Pac-12. The school record for rebounds in a game is 74, which was set on Feb. 18, 1984, against Utah State.
• Utah is coming off its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2011. This was the 18th trip in the program's history of making the NCAA Tournament, and they are looking for the 19th trip to the NCAA Tournament during the 2022-23 season.
• On Nov. 13, the Utes men's and women's programs were in action. They combined with having a 98-point margin of victory, the fourth-highest in Pac-12 history dating back to 1999 when both programs played on the same day.
• The Utes had three players earn Preseason All-Conference honors. Kneepkens and Jenna Johnson were named to the Preseason All-Conference team, while Kennady McQueen earned Pac-12 Honorable Mention honors. All three return to the Utes this season.
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along during the 2022-23 season on social media (Twitter: @UtahWBB | Instagram: @UtahWBB | Facebook: Facebook.com/UtahWBB).