Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball versus Western Colorado (EXHIBITION) on October 27, 2025 at TBD
TBD
Women's Basketball
vs Western Colorado (EXHIBITION)
Friday, November 22
Salt Lake City, Utah
7:00 PM
University of Utah
4-1,0-0Big 12
72
vs
71
Saint Joseph's
4-1,0-0Atlantic 10
1
2
3
4
OT 1
F
Saint Joseph's
7
20
15
21
8
71
Utah
16
18
14
15
9
72
Photo by: Liv Medivitz/Utah Athletics
Petersen Earns First Win as Head Coach in Overtime Thriller
11/22/2024 11:19 PM | Women's Basketball
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah women's basketball team battled in an exciting 72-71 overtime victory over Saint Joseph's to give head Coach Gavin Petersen his first win at the helm of the Utes.
Utah's Mayé Touré sunk a jumper in the paint with five seconds remaining to give the Utes the one point edge as the final buzzer sounded. The Utes were led by Gianna Kneepken's and Kennady McQueen's 14 points each.
GAME SUMMARY
Utah started out the game with a big Ute milestone as Mayé Touré drained a three-pointer to surpass 1,000 career points. Late in the first quarter Utah went on an 11-0 run and maintained for a 16-7 lead to start the second quarter.
Utah's biggest lead of the game came in the second quarter when Jenna Johnson hit a three to give the Utes a 26-12 lead with 5:53 remaining in the half. The Hawks chipped away at the deficit with the help of an 11-2 run. Utah was able to keep SJU at bay going into the half with a 34-27 lead.
The Utes came out of halftime and reclaimed their double digit lead with the help of a made layup from Matyson Wilke, a three-pointer from Gianna Kneepkens and a layup from Jenna Johnson. The Hawks kept pushing and the two teams went into the final quarter of play with a 48-42 score in favor of Utah.
Late in the fourth quarter, Saint Joseph's made a surge and trailed by three points with just under three minutes remaining. Kennady McQueen drained a three to give Utah some breathing room with two minutes left in regulation. In the final two minutes of the fourth quarter, SJU outscored Utah 8-2 to tie the game up 63-63 at the end of regulation.
Saint Joseph's was the first to get on the board in overtime thanks to a pair of free throws but Utah was the last to score in overtime thanks to Touré's floating jumper in the paint up with five seconds left on the clock. Utah had the one-point edge but the Hawks had time to get one shot off. SJU's Talya Brugler drove to the hoop and the ball rattled off the rim and into the hands of Touré to ensure Utah's 72-71 victory.
LEADERS
Utah had three Utes score in double figures and were led by Gianna Kneepken's and Kennady McQueen's 14 points each. Mayé Touré added 12 points for Utah.
Reese Ross had double digit rebounds for Utah with her season high of 10. Touré also had a big night on the boards pulling down nine. Inês Vieira led Utah with five assists.
COMPARISON
Utah shot 38.8 percent from the court while Saint Joseph's shot 43.5 percent. Utah went 29.0 percent from deep making 9-of-31 while SJU would go 30.4 percent shooting 7-of-23. The Utes found a rhythm on the free throw line shooting for 91.7 percent going 11-of-12 while the Hawks shot for 76.9 percent going 10-of-13 from the line.
Utah had 17 assists and 36 rebounds while Saint Joseph's had 16 assists and 43 rebounds. The Utes forced the Hawks into 24 turnovers while having 17 of their own.
NOTABLES
Utah is now 4-1 overall on the season.
This was head coach Gavin Petersen's first official win as head coach of the Utes.
Mayé Touré's 12 points puts her at 1,011 career points becoming the fourth Ute on the current roster to become a 1,000 point scorer.
Touré has hit double digit scoring in all but one game this season.
HEAR FROM THE UTES
Head Coach Gavin Petersen
Overall statement . . .
"Wow, what a game. Our players have been through a lot over the last few days. Just to see the looks in their eyes and the actions they've shown. They were not going to give in. We just beat a good basketball team. We just gutted it out. I'm so proud of everyone in that locker room. Mayé [Touré] hit that big shot and Kennady [McQueen] got her the ball. I'm so proud of the entire team."
Kennady McQueen, guard, senior
On the vibe of the team this week . . .
"We were shocked to say the least, but this group of women can face adversity. We knew it was going to be quite the change. We are so happy for Coach [Lynne] Roberts in the WNBA but we knew our mission was still the same. Our culture will stay intact and as players that's what gave us comfort. I've been around Gavin [Petersen] for the last five years and when I stepped on campus I thought 'Wow, Gavin is going to make a great head coach one day.' Here I am, getting to finish my final year with him. Best of luck to Coach Roberts but the season isn't over. The emotions have been a roller coaster but we're gonna put our heads down and keep working for those goals."
On executing in a close game situation . . .
"As a core group, we've played a lot of tight games together with wins and losses as outcomes. At Northwestern we had a bad offensive night but we had to learn that even when things aren't going our way we have to hone in on defense and I feel like that's what really changed tonight. It felt like everything came together and we had more intensity than we did in our loss last week. We learned from the loss and built on it."
Mayé Touré, forward, graduate senior
On her mindset when she hit the game winner . .
"I was actually looking for Kennady [McQueen]. She wasn't open so I wanted to create something that could help the team and when it was there I took it. I wanted to make it for the team."
OFFICIAL MOBILE APP OF UTAH ATHLETICS – UTAH 360
The official mobile app of Utah Athletics is Utah 360. Download it today to unlock exclusive video content, news and information, schedules, rosters, stats, and access to buy and manage tickets. The app is available in both the Apple Store (download) and Google Play (download). Add it today, access your game tickets and download them to your smartphone's wallet to make yourself game-day ready.
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along during the 2024-25 season on social media (Twitter: @UtahWBB | Instagram: @UtahWBB | Facebook: Facebook.com/UtahWBB).
Utah's Mayé Touré sunk a jumper in the paint with five seconds remaining to give the Utes the one point edge as the final buzzer sounded. The Utes were led by Gianna Kneepken's and Kennady McQueen's 14 points each.
GAME SUMMARY
Utah started out the game with a big Ute milestone as Mayé Touré drained a three-pointer to surpass 1,000 career points. Late in the first quarter Utah went on an 11-0 run and maintained for a 16-7 lead to start the second quarter.
Utah's biggest lead of the game came in the second quarter when Jenna Johnson hit a three to give the Utes a 26-12 lead with 5:53 remaining in the half. The Hawks chipped away at the deficit with the help of an 11-2 run. Utah was able to keep SJU at bay going into the half with a 34-27 lead.
The Utes came out of halftime and reclaimed their double digit lead with the help of a made layup from Matyson Wilke, a three-pointer from Gianna Kneepkens and a layup from Jenna Johnson. The Hawks kept pushing and the two teams went into the final quarter of play with a 48-42 score in favor of Utah.
Late in the fourth quarter, Saint Joseph's made a surge and trailed by three points with just under three minutes remaining. Kennady McQueen drained a three to give Utah some breathing room with two minutes left in regulation. In the final two minutes of the fourth quarter, SJU outscored Utah 8-2 to tie the game up 63-63 at the end of regulation.
Saint Joseph's was the first to get on the board in overtime thanks to a pair of free throws but Utah was the last to score in overtime thanks to Touré's floating jumper in the paint up with five seconds left on the clock. Utah had the one-point edge but the Hawks had time to get one shot off. SJU's Talya Brugler drove to the hoop and the ball rattled off the rim and into the hands of Touré to ensure Utah's 72-71 victory.
LEADERS
Utah had three Utes score in double figures and were led by Gianna Kneepken's and Kennady McQueen's 14 points each. Mayé Touré added 12 points for Utah.
Reese Ross had double digit rebounds for Utah with her season high of 10. Touré also had a big night on the boards pulling down nine. Inês Vieira led Utah with five assists.
COMPARISON
Utah shot 38.8 percent from the court while Saint Joseph's shot 43.5 percent. Utah went 29.0 percent from deep making 9-of-31 while SJU would go 30.4 percent shooting 7-of-23. The Utes found a rhythm on the free throw line shooting for 91.7 percent going 11-of-12 while the Hawks shot for 76.9 percent going 10-of-13 from the line.
Utah had 17 assists and 36 rebounds while Saint Joseph's had 16 assists and 43 rebounds. The Utes forced the Hawks into 24 turnovers while having 17 of their own.
NOTABLES
Utah is now 4-1 overall on the season.
This was head coach Gavin Petersen's first official win as head coach of the Utes.
Mayé Touré's 12 points puts her at 1,011 career points becoming the fourth Ute on the current roster to become a 1,000 point scorer.
Touré has hit double digit scoring in all but one game this season.
HEAR FROM THE UTES
Head Coach Gavin Petersen
Overall statement . . .
"Wow, what a game. Our players have been through a lot over the last few days. Just to see the looks in their eyes and the actions they've shown. They were not going to give in. We just beat a good basketball team. We just gutted it out. I'm so proud of everyone in that locker room. Mayé [Touré] hit that big shot and Kennady [McQueen] got her the ball. I'm so proud of the entire team."
Kennady McQueen, guard, senior
On the vibe of the team this week . . .
"We were shocked to say the least, but this group of women can face adversity. We knew it was going to be quite the change. We are so happy for Coach [Lynne] Roberts in the WNBA but we knew our mission was still the same. Our culture will stay intact and as players that's what gave us comfort. I've been around Gavin [Petersen] for the last five years and when I stepped on campus I thought 'Wow, Gavin is going to make a great head coach one day.' Here I am, getting to finish my final year with him. Best of luck to Coach Roberts but the season isn't over. The emotions have been a roller coaster but we're gonna put our heads down and keep working for those goals."
On executing in a close game situation . . .
"As a core group, we've played a lot of tight games together with wins and losses as outcomes. At Northwestern we had a bad offensive night but we had to learn that even when things aren't going our way we have to hone in on defense and I feel like that's what really changed tonight. It felt like everything came together and we had more intensity than we did in our loss last week. We learned from the loss and built on it."
Mayé Touré, forward, graduate senior
On her mindset when she hit the game winner . .
"I was actually looking for Kennady [McQueen]. She wasn't open so I wanted to create something that could help the team and when it was there I took it. I wanted to make it for the team."
OFFICIAL MOBILE APP OF UTAH ATHLETICS – UTAH 360
The official mobile app of Utah Athletics is Utah 360. Download it today to unlock exclusive video content, news and information, schedules, rosters, stats, and access to buy and manage tickets. The app is available in both the Apple Store (download) and Google Play (download). Add it today, access your game tickets and download them to your smartphone's wallet to make yourself game-day ready.
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along during the 2024-25 season on social media (Twitter: @UtahWBB | Instagram: @UtahWBB | Facebook: Facebook.com/UtahWBB).
Team Stats
SJU
Utah
FG%
.435
.388
3FG%
.304
.290
FT%
.769
.917
RB
43
36
TO
24
17
STL
4
9
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballFan Fest 2025 Coaches and Players Interviews: Women's Basketball
Sunday, August 17
Utah Women's Basketball: 76 - BYU: 73 | Postgame Press Conference
Saturday, March 01
Utah vs BYU - The Rivalry Continues
Saturday, March 01
Utah Women's Basketball: 46 - West Virginia: 75 | Postgame Press Conference
Thursday, February 27