Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball versus Western Colorado on October 27, 2025 at TBD
TBD
Women's Basketball
vs Western Colorado
Wednesday, February 26
Morgantown, WV
5:00 PM (MT)
University of Utah
at
West Virginia
UP NEXT: Utah Takes on No. 18 West Virginia in Final Regular Season Road Trip
2/24/2025 6:24 PM | Women's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.V. – The Utah Utes women's basketball team finishes out the final road trip of the regular season at West Virginia to take on the No. 18 ranked Mountaineers.
The Utes have won eight of their last nine games and are currently 21-6 on the season and 12-4 in Big 12 play and currently sitting at No. 5 in the Big 12 standings after downing Cincinnati 92-65 (2/23).
GAME INFORMATION
Utah (21-6, 12-4 Big 12) vs. No. 18 West Virginia (15-10, 7-8 Big 12)
DATE | TIME: Wednesday, Feb. 26 | 5:00 p.m. (MT)
LOCATION: Morgantown W.V. | WVU Coliseum
TV: ESPN+ | Watch
LISTEN: Click Here
LIVE STATS: Click Here
TWITTER UPDATES: @UtahWBB
HOW TO TUNE IN
Fans can watch the matchup on ESPN+ with Nick Farrell on play-by-play with Meg Bulger as analyst and Amanda Maz with the sideline report. The radio call will be on HANK FM 101.5 and can be found on the TuneIn app, with Tyson Ewing and Milee Rustand calling the action.
LAST TIME OUT
Utah got back on track with a 92-65 win over Cincinnati Sunday afternoon. The Utes jumped out to a 20-point lead at half that propelled the Utes to a second straight 90-point game on the road. Utah was led by Gianna Kneepkens' 25 points that included six made from beyond the arc. Kennady McQueen officially owns the program record for most games played in a Utah uniform as she made her 139th appearance.
THE UTES
Utah returns four starters from last year's squad including 2022-23 All-American Gianna Kneepkens. Kneepkens returns after suffering a season ending injury early in the 2023-24 season. Utah also brought back starters Jenna Johnson, Kennady McQueen and Inês Vieira. Other key players returning are Matyson Wilke, Samantha Crispe and Reese Ross. The Utes welcome two transfers in Chyra Evans and Mayé Touré and three true freshmen in Grace Foster, Kylie Ray and Brooke Walker.
50/40/90
Utah has not one but TWO elite level shooters in Gianna Kneepkens and Kennady McQueen. Kneepkens and McQueen are the only two players in the country currently averaging 50/40/90 while averaging at least 10 points per game and have played over 150 minutes.
Kneepkens is currently averaging 19.4 points per game while shooting 52.5% from the field, 46.6% from the three and 90.5% from the free throw line going 104-of-114. She is averaging 5.3 rebounds per game. She leads the Utes from beyond the arc knocking down 83 total so far on the year. Kneepkens sits in the Top 10 in the nation in all three, three point statistical categories. She's No. 5 three point percentage (46.6), No. 9 total three pointers (83) and No. 8 three pointers per game (3.07).
Kneepkens was named Big 12 Player of the Week (1/27/25) after posting back-to-back 30 point games including a career-high 32 points against BYU (1/25). Over the two games, she averaged 31 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals per game. She shot 58.8% from the field, 66.7% from the three and 83.3% from the line. Kneepkens' 31.0 points per game led league players during the week and ranked fourth in the country.
Kneepkens has recorded three 30 point games. Most recently she tied her career-high 32 points and six made threes against UCF (2/8/25). Before that she hit back-to-back 30 point games and established a career-high 32 points against BYU (1/25/25) that included a career-high 10 made three pointers and tied a career-high six made three pointers.
Prior to her injury in 2023-24, Kneepkens played just eight games and was averaging 17.8 points per game while shooting 63.3 percent from the field and 54.0 percent from beyond the arc. She averaged 5.5 rebounds and four assists per game.
Utah is 14-1 when Kneepkens hits three or more three pointers in a game this season. She is a 1,000 point scorer as she broke the 1,000-point milestone last season when she put up 19 against Carroll College (Nov. 28, 2023).
She was named to the Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Midseason Team as well as the USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale Player of the Year Midseason Watchlist. She was named a Cheryl Miller Award Top 10 candidate. In the preseason, she was a Naismith Player of the Year and Cheryl Miller Award Preseason Watchlists. Kneepkens was also placed on the Big 12 Preseason All-Conference team.
IN THE RANKS
The Utes received votes in the latest AP Top 25 Poll. Utah was ranked as high as #22 this season (Jan. 6) and received votes for five consecutive weeks prior to cracking the Top 25 the week of Jan. 6.
HEAD COACH GAVIN PETERSEN
Petersen 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 brings 23 seasons of college coaching experience to the role, he is in his 10th 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 six postseason appearances—including three NCAA tournaments and a trip to the Sweet Sixteen—and four 20-win seasons, as well as regular appearances in the AP Top 25.
SCOUTING WEST VIRGINIA
The Mountaineers are currently 21-6 on the season and 11-5 in Big 12 play, sitting one game back behind the Utes in fifth place. West Virginia is back in action after a 70-51 loss at No.10 TCU on Sunday.
The Utes and the Mountaineers are set to face off for the time in history.
West Virginia has posted 20+ win seasons in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2017-19.
Senior guard JJ Quinerly shines on the court for West Virginia, averaging 19.4 points per game while recording three 20+ point games in February. Quinerly's 13 points at TCU was her lowest showing since Jan. 11 versus Oklahoma State.
At the free throw line, two of the Big 12's top free throw shooters reside in Morgantown as Jordan Harrison (84.0%) and Quinerly (83.8%) rank fourth and fifth in the conference respectively.
On the defensive end, the Mountaineers rank first in the Big 12 and 11th nationally in defensive scoring, limiting their opponents to just 54.3 ppg. The last time the Utes found themselves under this mark was against #12 Kansas State earlier this season.
Individually, three of the conference's top five players who average the most steals per game play for West Virginia. Kyah Watson sits atop the ranks as the senior guard snatches 3.4 per game.
The Mountaineers are led by head coach Mark Kellogg who is in his 2nd season in Morgantown. He has a 46-16 record at the helm of West Virginia.
NEW THIS WEEK
The official mobile app of Utah Athletics is Utah 360. Download it today to unlock a refreshed game-day experience, from managing tickets to mobile concessions ordering, as well as video content, news and information, schedules, rosters and stats. 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).
The Utes have won eight of their last nine games and are currently 21-6 on the season and 12-4 in Big 12 play and currently sitting at No. 5 in the Big 12 standings after downing Cincinnati 92-65 (2/23).
GAME INFORMATION
Utah (21-6, 12-4 Big 12) vs. No. 18 West Virginia (15-10, 7-8 Big 12)
DATE | TIME: Wednesday, Feb. 26 | 5:00 p.m. (MT)
LOCATION: Morgantown W.V. | WVU Coliseum
TV: ESPN+ | Watch
LISTEN: Click Here
LIVE STATS: Click Here
TWITTER UPDATES: @UtahWBB
HOW TO TUNE IN
Fans can watch the matchup on ESPN+ with Nick Farrell on play-by-play with Meg Bulger as analyst and Amanda Maz with the sideline report. The radio call will be on HANK FM 101.5 and can be found on the TuneIn app, with Tyson Ewing and Milee Rustand calling the action.
LAST TIME OUT
Utah got back on track with a 92-65 win over Cincinnati Sunday afternoon. The Utes jumped out to a 20-point lead at half that propelled the Utes to a second straight 90-point game on the road. Utah was led by Gianna Kneepkens' 25 points that included six made from beyond the arc. Kennady McQueen officially owns the program record for most games played in a Utah uniform as she made her 139th appearance.
THE UTES
Utah returns four starters from last year's squad including 2022-23 All-American Gianna Kneepkens. Kneepkens returns after suffering a season ending injury early in the 2023-24 season. Utah also brought back starters Jenna Johnson, Kennady McQueen and Inês Vieira. Other key players returning are Matyson Wilke, Samantha Crispe and Reese Ross. The Utes welcome two transfers in Chyra Evans and Mayé Touré and three true freshmen in Grace Foster, Kylie Ray and Brooke Walker.
50/40/90
Utah has not one but TWO elite level shooters in Gianna Kneepkens and Kennady McQueen. Kneepkens and McQueen are the only two players in the country currently averaging 50/40/90 while averaging at least 10 points per game and have played over 150 minutes.
- Gianna Kneepkens is averaging 19.4 points per game and has logged 800 minutes of play. She's shooting 52.5% from the field (168-320), 46.6% from three (83-178) and 90.4% from the free throw line (104-115).
- Kennady McQueen is averaging 11.3 points per game and has logged 613 minutes of play. She's shooting 52.1% from the field (88-169), 45.7% from the three (53-116) and 95.0% from the line (19-20).
Kneepkens is currently averaging 19.4 points per game while shooting 52.5% from the field, 46.6% from the three and 90.5% from the free throw line going 104-of-114. She is averaging 5.3 rebounds per game. She leads the Utes from beyond the arc knocking down 83 total so far on the year. Kneepkens sits in the Top 10 in the nation in all three, three point statistical categories. She's No. 5 three point percentage (46.6), No. 9 total three pointers (83) and No. 8 three pointers per game (3.07).
Kneepkens was named Big 12 Player of the Week (1/27/25) after posting back-to-back 30 point games including a career-high 32 points against BYU (1/25). Over the two games, she averaged 31 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals per game. She shot 58.8% from the field, 66.7% from the three and 83.3% from the line. Kneepkens' 31.0 points per game led league players during the week and ranked fourth in the country.
Kneepkens has recorded three 30 point games. Most recently she tied her career-high 32 points and six made threes against UCF (2/8/25). Before that she hit back-to-back 30 point games and established a career-high 32 points against BYU (1/25/25) that included a career-high 10 made three pointers and tied a career-high six made three pointers.
Prior to her injury in 2023-24, Kneepkens played just eight games and was averaging 17.8 points per game while shooting 63.3 percent from the field and 54.0 percent from beyond the arc. She averaged 5.5 rebounds and four assists per game.
Utah is 14-1 when Kneepkens hits three or more three pointers in a game this season. She is a 1,000 point scorer as she broke the 1,000-point milestone last season when she put up 19 against Carroll College (Nov. 28, 2023).
She was named to the Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Midseason Team as well as the USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale Player of the Year Midseason Watchlist. She was named a Cheryl Miller Award Top 10 candidate. In the preseason, she was a Naismith Player of the Year and Cheryl Miller Award Preseason Watchlists. Kneepkens was also placed on the Big 12 Preseason All-Conference team.
IN THE RANKS
The Utes received votes in the latest AP Top 25 Poll. Utah was ranked as high as #22 this season (Jan. 6) and received votes for five consecutive weeks prior to cracking the Top 25 the week of Jan. 6.
HEAD COACH GAVIN PETERSEN
Petersen 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 brings 23 seasons of college coaching experience to the role, he is in his 10th 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 six postseason appearances—including three NCAA tournaments and a trip to the Sweet Sixteen—and four 20-win seasons, as well as regular appearances in the AP Top 25.
SCOUTING WEST VIRGINIA
The Mountaineers are currently 21-6 on the season and 11-5 in Big 12 play, sitting one game back behind the Utes in fifth place. West Virginia is back in action after a 70-51 loss at No.10 TCU on Sunday.
The Utes and the Mountaineers are set to face off for the time in history.
West Virginia has posted 20+ win seasons in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2017-19.
Senior guard JJ Quinerly shines on the court for West Virginia, averaging 19.4 points per game while recording three 20+ point games in February. Quinerly's 13 points at TCU was her lowest showing since Jan. 11 versus Oklahoma State.
At the free throw line, two of the Big 12's top free throw shooters reside in Morgantown as Jordan Harrison (84.0%) and Quinerly (83.8%) rank fourth and fifth in the conference respectively.
On the defensive end, the Mountaineers rank first in the Big 12 and 11th nationally in defensive scoring, limiting their opponents to just 54.3 ppg. The last time the Utes found themselves under this mark was against #12 Kansas State earlier this season.
Individually, three of the conference's top five players who average the most steals per game play for West Virginia. Kyah Watson sits atop the ranks as the senior guard snatches 3.4 per game.
The Mountaineers are led by head coach Mark Kellogg who is in his 2nd season in Morgantown. He has a 46-16 record at the helm of West Virginia.
NEW THIS WEEK
- Utah continued receiving votes in the latest poll that dropped Feb. 24.
- Kneepkens sits in the Top 10 in the nation in all three three point statistical categories.
- No. 5 three point percentage (46.6)
- No. 9 total three pointers (83)
- No. 8 three pointers per game (3.07)
- The Utes are 14-1 in games when Gianna Kneepkens hits three or more three pointers in a game.
- Gianna Kneepkens and Kennady McQueen are the only two players in the NCAA to sit at 50/40/90 while scoring over 200 points and have played over 150 minutes this season.
- Utah's 78-67 win over No. 3 Notre Dame marks the highest ranked win while traveling in school history. Previously, the record for the highest ranked neutral site game was during the 2002-03 season when Utah defeated No. 14 Mississippi State 69-65. The previous record for highest ranked win outside of Salt Lake City was last season when Utah defeated No. 6 USC with a 74-68 score in Los Angeles (2/25/24).
- This is back-to-back seasons the Utes have taken down top-10 teams away from the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
- Gavin Petersen became the fastest head coach in school history to get a win over a top-10 team. Accomplishing the feat in just four games when Utah downed No. 3 Notre Dame 78-67 (11/30/24).
- Utah's 105 points against SUU (11/4/24), marked the first time in school history the Utes scored 100 or more points in the season opener in back-to-back seasons.
- Utah's 118 points against McNeese (11/18/24) marks the second highest points scored in a game in Utah program history. The record stands at 124 which has occurred twice, with the most recent time coming in 2022-23 against Oklahoma State.
- In Utah's 67-57 win over Washington, the Utes trailed by 10 points going into the fourth quarter. The Utes outscored the Huskies 27-7 in the fourth quarter to pull out the win. At the time, Utah was one of six teams to overcome a double digit deficit for a victory.
- Gianna Kneepkens has left no doubts with her comeback as she leads the team averaging 19.4 points per game shooting 52.5% from the field, 46.6% from the three and 90.4% from the free throw line. She also leads the team in made three pointers with 83 and free throws with 104.
- At the helm for the Utes is Gavin Petersen who is in his first season as head coach and 10th overall season at Utah. He was named head coach Nov. 19, 2024 just four games into the season.
- Utah is currently in the top 30 nationally in eight major statistical categories:
- No. 26 assist/turnover ratio (1.22)
- No. 9 assists per game (19.1)
- No. 9 field goal percentage (47.7)
- No. 29 scoring margin (16.5)
- No. 24 scoring offense (78.3)
- No. 14 three point attempts per game (26.4)
- No. 4 three pointers per game (10.2)
- No. 6 three point percentage (38.5)
- Gianna Kneepkens is currently No. 12 in the nation and leads the Big 12 in free throw percentage with 90.4.
- Kneepkens recently jumped to No. 23 in the nation in scoring with 523 total points on the season and No. 27 in points per game with 19.4.
- She sits in the Top 10 in the nation in all three three point statistical categories.
- No. 5 three point percentage (46.6)
- No. 9 total three pointers (83)
- No. 8 three pointers per game (3.07)
- Kennady McQueen sits at No 8 in the nation in three point percentage with her 45.7% on the season.
The official mobile app of Utah Athletics is Utah 360. Download it today to unlock a refreshed game-day experience, from managing tickets to mobile concessions ordering, as well as video content, news and information, schedules, rosters and stats. 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).
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