Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball versus Arizona State on December 31, 2025 at 2:00 PM
2:00 PM
Women's Basketball
vs Arizona State
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The University of Utah Athletics
Wednesday, December 31
Salt Lake City, Utah
2:00 PM
University of Utah
vs
Arizona State
UP NEXT: Utah Hosts Arizona State In Big 12 Home Opener
12/29/2025 4:05 PM | Women's Basketball
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah women's basketball is set to kick off Big 12 home action Dec. 31 against Arizona State. The Utes are currently on a seven-game win streak. The Utes are also on a seven-game win streak against the Sun Devils and have won eight of the last nine matchups.
GAME INFORMATION
Utah (10-3, 1-0 Big 12) vs. Arizona State (14-0, 1-0 Big 12)
DATE | TIME: Wednesday, Dec. 31 | 2 p.m. (MT)
LOCATION: Salt Lake City | Jon M. Huntsman Center
LIVE STATS: Click Here
LIVE STREAM: Click Here
LISTEN:Click Here
TWITTER UPDATES:@UtahWBB
HOW TO TUNE IN
Fans can follow along with the live action of the matchup on ESPN+ with Tony Parks on the play-by-play and Elaine Elliott as analyst. The radio call will be on ESPN700 and can be found on the TuneIn app, with Tyson Ewing and Milee Rustand calling the action.
LAST TIME OUT
Utah women's basketball started the Big 12 season with a 63-62 win over Arizona. The Utes had a big second quarter out scoring the Wildcats 24-4 to take a 39-23 lead going into halftime. Arizona made a surge in the second half bringing the score within one point in the final 10 seconds of the game but Utah was able to hold onto the lead to pull out the narrow one point victory. Utah was led by Lani White's 26 points and career-high 11 made field goals. Reese Ross posted her second straight double-double with 10 points and career-high 14 rebounds. Maty Wilke hit a career milestone as her nine points pushed her into the 1,000 point club and she now has 1,004 total points in her career.
THE UTES
Utah returns four key contributors from the 2024-25 season including Maty Wilke, Samantha Crispe, Brooke Walker and Reese Ross. This year the Utes welcome back Lani White who played at Utah for her freshman and sophomore seasons. White spent her junior season at Virginia Tech but has returned to finish her collegiate career where she started it all, as a Ute. The Utes welcome one true transfer in Kamryn Mafua and four freshmen in LA Sneed, Ella Todd, Avery Hjelmstad and Evelina Otto.
THE KEY IS WILKE
Maty Wilke is Utah's top returner. Wilke is shooting 39.7% from the field, 37.3% from three and 100% from the line while averaging 9.6 points per game. She's averaging 4.0 rebounds and has 34 assists so far this season. Wilke has 1,000 total points in her collegiate career. She has also hit 200 career made three pointers, pulled down 300 career rebounds and posted 200 career assists.
LANI'S CHARISMA
Lani White hit a hot streak. She scored 20 or more points and hit five or more made three pointers in back-to-back games (Boise State, 12/10 and Northwestern 12/14). She posted a career-high 26 points and a career-high 7-of-7 from three point range against Northwestern (12/14). She knocked down 12 straight three pointers without a single miss. She matched her career-high scoring by hitting 26 points against Arizona (12/21) including a career-high 11 made field goals.
White currently leads the Utes with 14.2 points per game. She's shooting 48.2% from the field, 39.4% from three and 81.3% from the free throw line. She's second on the team in rebounding pulling down 71 total on the year and averages 5.5 rebounds a game.
HJELMSTAD & THE FOURTH QUARTER
Freshman Avery Hjelmstad THRIVES in the final 10 minutes of a game. 54.6% (59-of-108) of Hjelmstad's points have been scored in the fourth quarter. Against Weber State (11/26) all of Hjelmstad's 12 points were scored in the fourth quarter. 10 of those were scored within 90 seconds and seven of them were unanswered. Weber State (11/26) was her biggest fourth quarter to date with 12 points going 3-of-4 from the field, 2-of-3 from the three and 4-of-5 from the line.
Against Sioux Falls (11/3) Hjelmstad posted 11 points including three from deep and two made free throws. Hjelmstad went 4-of-8 from the field and 2-of-5 from deep against Utah State (11/7) for 11 points. Against Colorado State (12/4), Hjelmstad posted 16-of-22 points in the second half with 10 of those coming in the fourth quarter. Hjelmstad made 3-of-10 points in the fourth quarter against Boise State.
Game-By-Game Breakdown:
(Points in the Fourth - Total Points)
vs. Sioux Falls 11-of-14
vs. Utah State 11-of-16
vs. Utah Valley 3-of-3
vs. UConn 6-of-6
vs. Weber State 12-of-12
vs. Montana 3-of-6
vs. Colorado State 10-of-22
Vs. Boise State 3-of-10
HEAD COACH GAVIN PETERSEN
Petersen enters his second season and first full season as head coach. He was named the head coach of the Utah women's basketball team on Nov. 19, 2024 just four games into the 2024-25 season. He has a 29-11 record in his career. Petersen became the fastest coach in program history to get a Top-10 victory when he led the Utes to a 78-67 win over No. 3 NotreDame (11/30/24). He brings 23 seasons of college coaching experience to the role, he is in his 11th season overall with the Utes and spent the previous five years as associate head coach under Lynne Roberts.
Petersen has been a part of the staff that has led the Utes to seven postseason appearances—including four NCAA tournaments and a trip to the Sweet Sixteen—and five 20-win seasons, as well as regular appearances in the AP Top 25.
SCOUTING ARIZONA STATE
Arizona State is 14-0 this season and is coming off a 79-63 win over Colorado. ASU is one of six undefeated teams this season. The Sun Devils are led by head coach Molly Miller who is in her 1st season at the helm of Arizona State. She has a 14-0 record.
Arizona State is averaging 70.1 points per game through 14 games while allowing opponents to average 55.1 points per game.The Sun Devils are shooting 45.1% from the field, 32.4% from three, and 68.1% from the free-throw line across the first 14 games. On the glass, Arizona State is averaging 39.4 rebounds per game, compared to opponents' 33.2 boards per game.
Arizona State has two players averaging double figures through 14 games: Gabby Elliott (16.3) and McKinna Brackens (14.7). Gabby Elliott leads the Sun Devils in scoring at 16.3 points per game, shooting 41.5% from the field, 32.1% from three, and 74.1% from the free-throw line, while adding 5.4 rebounds per game.
Utah is currently on a seven-game win streak against ASU and have won eight of the last nine matchups. Utah has a 19-15 overall record with Arizona State and a 7-6 record with the Sun Devils in Salt Lake. The Utes defeated the Sun Devils 98-62 in their most recent meeting last season. The last time Arizona State visited Salt Lake City, Utah earned a 102-82 win (12/21/24).
NEW AND NOTEWORTHY
• Senior Lani White is the only Ute to have multiple 20-points games. First White, put up 23 points against Boise State (12/10) that included a perfect 5-of-5 from beyond the arc for a career-high. She then bested that career mark going 7-of-7 from three and posted a career-high 26 points against Northwestern (12/14). She matched her 26 point career-high against Arizona (12/21) that included a career-high 11 made field goals.
• Reese Ross became the third Ute to log a 20-point game this season with her 20 against Northwestern (12/14).
• Ross put up back-to-back double-doubles for the first time in her career. First, against UC Riverside with 17 points and 13 rebounds and later she pu up 10 points and a career-high 14 rebounds against Arizona (12/21).
• The Utes have knocked down 10 or more threes in a game seven times this season and are undefeated in those games.
• The Utes are 6-0 when the bench puts up 20 or more points in a game.
2025-26 SEASON NEED TO KNOW
• Utah is coming off its fourth consecutive 20-win season and fourth NCAA Tournament appearances. Head Coach Gavin Petersen enters his second season at the helm of the Utes and 11th overall season at Utah.
• The Utes are returning seven from last year's squad including key contributors Maty Wilke, Reese Ross, Samantha Crispe and Brooke Walker.
• Utah welcomes back Lani White who spent the 2022-23 and 2023-24 season with Utah before spending the 2024-25 season at Virginia Tech.
• The Utes have five true newcomers on the roster this year in transfer Kamryn Mafua and freshmen Ella Todd, Evelina Otto, LA Sneed and Avery Hjelmstad
• At the helm for the Utes is Gavin Petersen who is in his second season as head coach and 11th overall season at Utah. He was named head coach Nov. 19, 2024, just four games into the 2025-26 season.
• Against UConn (11/23), the Utes posted 14 assists on 14 made field goal for a 100% rate, the highest on the season.
• Maty Wilke, Avery Hjelmstad and Lani White have each logged at least five made threes in a game so far on the season.
• Lani White holds the season high with most points scored in a game with 26 twice (Northwestern 12/14, Arizona 12/21).
• Utah had a season high of 25 assists against Utah State including a career-high nine from LA Sneed
• Maty Wilke tied her career high with six assists against Weber State (11/26). Wilke's six assists pushed her over the 200-assist milestone.
• LA Sneed has the season best nine assists against Utah State (11/7).
• The Utes best rebounding game of the season came against Boise State where Utah had 56 total boards.
• The Utes knocked down 14 from beyond the arc for the most threes made in a game this season against Boise State (12/10).
• Avery Hjelmstad is the fourth quarter queen with 59 of her 108 total points coming in the fourth quarter. Against Weber State (11/26), Hjelmstad posted all 12 points in the final 10 minutes of action, 10 of those points happened within 90 seconds and seven of them went unanswered.
• Utah is top 40 nationally in four major statistical categories:
No. 29 assists per game (17.8)
No. 21 defensive rebounds per game (30.2)
No. 28 three point attempts (26.8)
No. 20 three pointers per game (9.4)
UP NEXT
The Utes continue Big 12 action hosting No. 8 TCU on Jan. 3 at 7 p.m. Utah will then hit the road to take on Kansas Jan. 7 and Kansas State Jan. 10. The Utes will return to the Huntsman Center to take on the No. 22 Baylor Jan. 14.
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along during the 2025-26 season on social media (Twitter: @UtahWBB | Instagram: @UtahWBB | Facebook: Facebook.com/UtahWBB).
GAME INFORMATION
Utah (10-3, 1-0 Big 12) vs. Arizona State (14-0, 1-0 Big 12)
DATE | TIME: Wednesday, Dec. 31 | 2 p.m. (MT)
LOCATION: Salt Lake City | Jon M. Huntsman Center
LIVE STATS: Click Here
LIVE STREAM: Click Here
LISTEN:Click Here
TWITTER UPDATES:@UtahWBB
HOW TO TUNE IN
Fans can follow along with the live action of the matchup on ESPN+ with Tony Parks on the play-by-play and Elaine Elliott as analyst. The radio call will be on ESPN700 and can be found on the TuneIn app, with Tyson Ewing and Milee Rustand calling the action.
LAST TIME OUT
Utah women's basketball started the Big 12 season with a 63-62 win over Arizona. The Utes had a big second quarter out scoring the Wildcats 24-4 to take a 39-23 lead going into halftime. Arizona made a surge in the second half bringing the score within one point in the final 10 seconds of the game but Utah was able to hold onto the lead to pull out the narrow one point victory. Utah was led by Lani White's 26 points and career-high 11 made field goals. Reese Ross posted her second straight double-double with 10 points and career-high 14 rebounds. Maty Wilke hit a career milestone as her nine points pushed her into the 1,000 point club and she now has 1,004 total points in her career.
THE UTES
Utah returns four key contributors from the 2024-25 season including Maty Wilke, Samantha Crispe, Brooke Walker and Reese Ross. This year the Utes welcome back Lani White who played at Utah for her freshman and sophomore seasons. White spent her junior season at Virginia Tech but has returned to finish her collegiate career where she started it all, as a Ute. The Utes welcome one true transfer in Kamryn Mafua and four freshmen in LA Sneed, Ella Todd, Avery Hjelmstad and Evelina Otto.
THE KEY IS WILKE
Maty Wilke is Utah's top returner. Wilke is shooting 39.7% from the field, 37.3% from three and 100% from the line while averaging 9.6 points per game. She's averaging 4.0 rebounds and has 34 assists so far this season. Wilke has 1,000 total points in her collegiate career. She has also hit 200 career made three pointers, pulled down 300 career rebounds and posted 200 career assists.
LANI'S CHARISMA
Lani White hit a hot streak. She scored 20 or more points and hit five or more made three pointers in back-to-back games (Boise State, 12/10 and Northwestern 12/14). She posted a career-high 26 points and a career-high 7-of-7 from three point range against Northwestern (12/14). She knocked down 12 straight three pointers without a single miss. She matched her career-high scoring by hitting 26 points against Arizona (12/21) including a career-high 11 made field goals.
White currently leads the Utes with 14.2 points per game. She's shooting 48.2% from the field, 39.4% from three and 81.3% from the free throw line. She's second on the team in rebounding pulling down 71 total on the year and averages 5.5 rebounds a game.
HJELMSTAD & THE FOURTH QUARTER
Freshman Avery Hjelmstad THRIVES in the final 10 minutes of a game. 54.6% (59-of-108) of Hjelmstad's points have been scored in the fourth quarter. Against Weber State (11/26) all of Hjelmstad's 12 points were scored in the fourth quarter. 10 of those were scored within 90 seconds and seven of them were unanswered. Weber State (11/26) was her biggest fourth quarter to date with 12 points going 3-of-4 from the field, 2-of-3 from the three and 4-of-5 from the line.
Against Sioux Falls (11/3) Hjelmstad posted 11 points including three from deep and two made free throws. Hjelmstad went 4-of-8 from the field and 2-of-5 from deep against Utah State (11/7) for 11 points. Against Colorado State (12/4), Hjelmstad posted 16-of-22 points in the second half with 10 of those coming in the fourth quarter. Hjelmstad made 3-of-10 points in the fourth quarter against Boise State.
Game-By-Game Breakdown:
(Points in the Fourth - Total Points)
vs. Sioux Falls 11-of-14
vs. Utah State 11-of-16
vs. Utah Valley 3-of-3
vs. UConn 6-of-6
vs. Weber State 12-of-12
vs. Montana 3-of-6
vs. Colorado State 10-of-22
Vs. Boise State 3-of-10
HEAD COACH GAVIN PETERSEN
Petersen enters his second season and first full season as head coach. He was named the head coach of the Utah women's basketball team on Nov. 19, 2024 just four games into the 2024-25 season. He has a 29-11 record in his career. Petersen became the fastest coach in program history to get a Top-10 victory when he led the Utes to a 78-67 win over No. 3 NotreDame (11/30/24). He brings 23 seasons of college coaching experience to the role, he is in his 11th season overall with the Utes and spent the previous five years as associate head coach under Lynne Roberts.
Petersen has been a part of the staff that has led the Utes to seven postseason appearances—including four NCAA tournaments and a trip to the Sweet Sixteen—and five 20-win seasons, as well as regular appearances in the AP Top 25.
SCOUTING ARIZONA STATE
Arizona State is 14-0 this season and is coming off a 79-63 win over Colorado. ASU is one of six undefeated teams this season. The Sun Devils are led by head coach Molly Miller who is in her 1st season at the helm of Arizona State. She has a 14-0 record.
Arizona State is averaging 70.1 points per game through 14 games while allowing opponents to average 55.1 points per game.The Sun Devils are shooting 45.1% from the field, 32.4% from three, and 68.1% from the free-throw line across the first 14 games. On the glass, Arizona State is averaging 39.4 rebounds per game, compared to opponents' 33.2 boards per game.
Arizona State has two players averaging double figures through 14 games: Gabby Elliott (16.3) and McKinna Brackens (14.7). Gabby Elliott leads the Sun Devils in scoring at 16.3 points per game, shooting 41.5% from the field, 32.1% from three, and 74.1% from the free-throw line, while adding 5.4 rebounds per game.
Utah is currently on a seven-game win streak against ASU and have won eight of the last nine matchups. Utah has a 19-15 overall record with Arizona State and a 7-6 record with the Sun Devils in Salt Lake. The Utes defeated the Sun Devils 98-62 in their most recent meeting last season. The last time Arizona State visited Salt Lake City, Utah earned a 102-82 win (12/21/24).
NEW AND NOTEWORTHY
• Senior Lani White is the only Ute to have multiple 20-points games. First White, put up 23 points against Boise State (12/10) that included a perfect 5-of-5 from beyond the arc for a career-high. She then bested that career mark going 7-of-7 from three and posted a career-high 26 points against Northwestern (12/14). She matched her 26 point career-high against Arizona (12/21) that included a career-high 11 made field goals.
• Reese Ross became the third Ute to log a 20-point game this season with her 20 against Northwestern (12/14).
• Ross put up back-to-back double-doubles for the first time in her career. First, against UC Riverside with 17 points and 13 rebounds and later she pu up 10 points and a career-high 14 rebounds against Arizona (12/21).
• The Utes have knocked down 10 or more threes in a game seven times this season and are undefeated in those games.
• The Utes are 6-0 when the bench puts up 20 or more points in a game.
2025-26 SEASON NEED TO KNOW
• Utah is coming off its fourth consecutive 20-win season and fourth NCAA Tournament appearances. Head Coach Gavin Petersen enters his second season at the helm of the Utes and 11th overall season at Utah.
• The Utes are returning seven from last year's squad including key contributors Maty Wilke, Reese Ross, Samantha Crispe and Brooke Walker.
• Utah welcomes back Lani White who spent the 2022-23 and 2023-24 season with Utah before spending the 2024-25 season at Virginia Tech.
• The Utes have five true newcomers on the roster this year in transfer Kamryn Mafua and freshmen Ella Todd, Evelina Otto, LA Sneed and Avery Hjelmstad
• At the helm for the Utes is Gavin Petersen who is in his second season as head coach and 11th overall season at Utah. He was named head coach Nov. 19, 2024, just four games into the 2025-26 season.
• Against UConn (11/23), the Utes posted 14 assists on 14 made field goal for a 100% rate, the highest on the season.
• Maty Wilke, Avery Hjelmstad and Lani White have each logged at least five made threes in a game so far on the season.
• Lani White holds the season high with most points scored in a game with 26 twice (Northwestern 12/14, Arizona 12/21).
• Utah had a season high of 25 assists against Utah State including a career-high nine from LA Sneed
• Maty Wilke tied her career high with six assists against Weber State (11/26). Wilke's six assists pushed her over the 200-assist milestone.
• LA Sneed has the season best nine assists against Utah State (11/7).
• The Utes best rebounding game of the season came against Boise State where Utah had 56 total boards.
• The Utes knocked down 14 from beyond the arc for the most threes made in a game this season against Boise State (12/10).
• Avery Hjelmstad is the fourth quarter queen with 59 of her 108 total points coming in the fourth quarter. Against Weber State (11/26), Hjelmstad posted all 12 points in the final 10 minutes of action, 10 of those points happened within 90 seconds and seven of them went unanswered.
• Utah is top 40 nationally in four major statistical categories:
No. 29 assists per game (17.8)
No. 21 defensive rebounds per game (30.2)
No. 28 three point attempts (26.8)
No. 20 three pointers per game (9.4)
UP NEXT
The Utes continue Big 12 action hosting No. 8 TCU on Jan. 3 at 7 p.m. Utah will then hit the road to take on Kansas Jan. 7 and Kansas State Jan. 10. The Utes will return to the Huntsman Center to take on the No. 22 Baylor Jan. 14.
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along during the 2025-26 season on social media (Twitter: @UtahWBB | Instagram: @UtahWBB | Facebook: Facebook.com/UtahWBB).
Players Mentioned
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