Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball at BYU on January 31, 2026 at 2:00 PM
2:00 PM
Women's Basketball
at BYU
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The University of Utah Athletics
Tuesday, January 27
Salt Lake City, Utah
7:00 PM
University of Utah
15-6,6-3Big 12
71
vs
64
West Virginia
17-5,7-3Big 12
1
2
3
4
F
West Virginia
11
13
18
22
64
Utah
14
22
19
16
71
Utah Bounces Back with 77-64 Upset Win over No. 22 West Virginia
1/27/2026 10:20 PM | Women's Basketball
SALT LAKE CITY– The Utah women's basketball team pulled out a 71-64 wire-to-wire win over No. 22 West Virginia in the John M. Huntsman Center on Tuesday night.
Utah now has a 15-6 overall record and sit at 6-3 in Big 12 play. Utah was led by freshman LA's Sneeds 15 points going 5-of-6 from the field. Reese Ross contributed greatly by getting her fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
GAME SUMMARY
The Utes got on the board first thanks to a layup made by Brooke Walker. Utah was able to hold West Virginia to a two minute scoring drought and break away to close out the first quarter with the 14-11 lead.
In the second quarter, Utah hit its first three field goals including two from beyond the arc. The Mountaineers were then able to hold the Utes to a three minute scoring drought, which was broken by a three by Maty Wilke. Utah was able to close out the half scoring 5-of-5 from the field and breaking away with the 36-24 lead. The Utes ended up outscoring WVU 22-13 in the second quarter.
Coming out of the halftime break Utah continued thriving, holding West Virginia to a four minute scoring drought while going on a 6-0 run. The Mountaineers responded and pushed back, going on an 8-0 run and closing the gap to eleven. Thanks to layups from Lani White and LA Sneed the Utes closed out the third quarter with a 55-42 lead.
In the fourth quarter Utah kept dominating momentum, going on a 9-0 run and holding the Mountaineers to a three minute scoring drought. West Virginia battled black late, going on an 8-0 run, however the Utes held strong and pulled out the 71-64 win.
LEADERS
Utah had four Utes score in double figures and were led by freshman LA Sneed's 15 points. Lani White posted 14 points while both Reese Ross and Chyra Evans contributed 12 points.
Maty Wilke had an effective game on the score board with nine points including three made from beyond the arc.
Ross led the Utes on the boards with ten rebounds. This was Ross' fourth double-double of the season. Ross led Utah with four assists. Walker, Evans, and Sneed all had three assists to add to the Utes' offensive play.
Brooke Walker had a big defensive game coming away with five steals.
COMPARISON
Utah shot 54.0% from the field while West Virginia shot 41.3%. Utah went 55.6% from three knocking down 10-of-18 while West Virginia shot 16.7% going 2-of-12. At the free-throw line, Utah shot 77.8% going 7-of-9 while West Virginia shot 90.9% converting 10-of-11.
Utah's bench had 17 points while WVU had 10. Utah had 16 assists on 27 made baskets while West Virginia had 10 assists on 26 made baskets.
HEAR FROM THE UTES
Head Coach Gavin Petersen
Opening Statement…
"Extremely proud of our players and coaching staff for turning the page after a not so great showing on Saturday—getting back to Utah basketball, playing with intensity and competing. I am really proud of our players for putting that Texas Tech game aside. West Virginia is a really good team and they're going to win a lot of games. In this conference you get no nights off, that's what we signed up for. It's great to compete at the highest level against some of the best teams in the country. So, I'm just happy to be able to pull together and get the job done."
On Utah's improved defense and shotmaking against WVU…
"We got off to a slow offensive start, but it didn't affect our defense. Whereas Saturday our offense definitely affected our connectivity and intensity on defense. The game against Texas Tech was a learning lesson, and to the team's credit they learned from it and didn't let their shotmaking or shotmissing affect our intensity on the defensive end tonight. When we got to set up our half-court defense I was really impressed by how we turned the page and locked in."
On Brooke Walker's impact and how she helped the team against WVU…
"Brooke is one of our hardest workers, she does all the gritty, tough things that might always not show up in the stat sheet. She has an impact on both sides of the floor. I'm really proud of her working through her injuries, coming back, and just sticking with it. I have Brooke and LA and I have the utmost confidence in both of them to handle the ball. Brooke is one of those floor generals and epitomizes everything about our program."
Junior Forward Reese Ross
How important a win against WVU was for the team…
"This win was personal, as a team we had a bad taste in our mouth after Texas Tech. We always talk about going 1-0 and working hard after a quick turnaround. We learned from our last game and it's so huge that we were able to capitalize on another opportunity 48 hours later. Being able to adjust shows determination and growth and that's going to carry over to the postseason. These are big moments for the younger players on our team, losses aren't great but you can always grow from them."
Freshman Guard LA Sneed
On what was working in her game against WVU….
"I feel like I wasn't hesitating anymore, just letting the ball fly. Also, my teammates instill confidence in me and seeing the offense and defense flow during the game helped me go in and do what I needed to do."
UP NEXT
The Utes won't travel far for the next road game heading just south to Provo to take on rival BYU Jan. 31. Utah will then make the trek across the country to Orlando, Fla. to take on the Golden Knights of UCF. Utah's next home game will be Feb. 7 against Iowa State.
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along during the 2025-26 season on social media (Twitter: @UtahWBB | Instagram: @UtahWBB | Facebook: Facebook.com/UtahWBB).
Utah now has a 15-6 overall record and sit at 6-3 in Big 12 play. Utah was led by freshman LA's Sneeds 15 points going 5-of-6 from the field. Reese Ross contributed greatly by getting her fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
GAME SUMMARY
The Utes got on the board first thanks to a layup made by Brooke Walker. Utah was able to hold West Virginia to a two minute scoring drought and break away to close out the first quarter with the 14-11 lead.
In the second quarter, Utah hit its first three field goals including two from beyond the arc. The Mountaineers were then able to hold the Utes to a three minute scoring drought, which was broken by a three by Maty Wilke. Utah was able to close out the half scoring 5-of-5 from the field and breaking away with the 36-24 lead. The Utes ended up outscoring WVU 22-13 in the second quarter.
Coming out of the halftime break Utah continued thriving, holding West Virginia to a four minute scoring drought while going on a 6-0 run. The Mountaineers responded and pushed back, going on an 8-0 run and closing the gap to eleven. Thanks to layups from Lani White and LA Sneed the Utes closed out the third quarter with a 55-42 lead.
In the fourth quarter Utah kept dominating momentum, going on a 9-0 run and holding the Mountaineers to a three minute scoring drought. West Virginia battled black late, going on an 8-0 run, however the Utes held strong and pulled out the 71-64 win.
LEADERS
Utah had four Utes score in double figures and were led by freshman LA Sneed's 15 points. Lani White posted 14 points while both Reese Ross and Chyra Evans contributed 12 points.
Maty Wilke had an effective game on the score board with nine points including three made from beyond the arc.
Ross led the Utes on the boards with ten rebounds. This was Ross' fourth double-double of the season. Ross led Utah with four assists. Walker, Evans, and Sneed all had three assists to add to the Utes' offensive play.
Brooke Walker had a big defensive game coming away with five steals.
COMPARISON
Utah shot 54.0% from the field while West Virginia shot 41.3%. Utah went 55.6% from three knocking down 10-of-18 while West Virginia shot 16.7% going 2-of-12. At the free-throw line, Utah shot 77.8% going 7-of-9 while West Virginia shot 90.9% converting 10-of-11.
Utah's bench had 17 points while WVU had 10. Utah had 16 assists on 27 made baskets while West Virginia had 10 assists on 26 made baskets.
HEAR FROM THE UTES
Head Coach Gavin Petersen
Opening Statement…
"Extremely proud of our players and coaching staff for turning the page after a not so great showing on Saturday—getting back to Utah basketball, playing with intensity and competing. I am really proud of our players for putting that Texas Tech game aside. West Virginia is a really good team and they're going to win a lot of games. In this conference you get no nights off, that's what we signed up for. It's great to compete at the highest level against some of the best teams in the country. So, I'm just happy to be able to pull together and get the job done."
On Utah's improved defense and shotmaking against WVU…
"We got off to a slow offensive start, but it didn't affect our defense. Whereas Saturday our offense definitely affected our connectivity and intensity on defense. The game against Texas Tech was a learning lesson, and to the team's credit they learned from it and didn't let their shotmaking or shotmissing affect our intensity on the defensive end tonight. When we got to set up our half-court defense I was really impressed by how we turned the page and locked in."
On Brooke Walker's impact and how she helped the team against WVU…
"Brooke is one of our hardest workers, she does all the gritty, tough things that might always not show up in the stat sheet. She has an impact on both sides of the floor. I'm really proud of her working through her injuries, coming back, and just sticking with it. I have Brooke and LA and I have the utmost confidence in both of them to handle the ball. Brooke is one of those floor generals and epitomizes everything about our program."
Junior Forward Reese Ross
How important a win against WVU was for the team…
"This win was personal, as a team we had a bad taste in our mouth after Texas Tech. We always talk about going 1-0 and working hard after a quick turnaround. We learned from our last game and it's so huge that we were able to capitalize on another opportunity 48 hours later. Being able to adjust shows determination and growth and that's going to carry over to the postseason. These are big moments for the younger players on our team, losses aren't great but you can always grow from them."
Freshman Guard LA Sneed
On what was working in her game against WVU….
"I feel like I wasn't hesitating anymore, just letting the ball fly. Also, my teammates instill confidence in me and seeing the offense and defense flow during the game helped me go in and do what I needed to do."
UP NEXT
The Utes won't travel far for the next road game heading just south to Provo to take on rival BYU Jan. 31. Utah will then make the trek across the country to Orlando, Fla. to take on the Golden Knights of UCF. Utah's next home game will be Feb. 7 against Iowa State.
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along during the 2025-26 season on social media (Twitter: @UtahWBB | Instagram: @UtahWBB | Facebook: Facebook.com/UtahWBB).
Team Stats
WVU
Utah
FG%
.413
.540
3FG%
.167
.556
FT%
.909
.778
RB
33
29
TO
15
21
STL
14
11
Game Leaders
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
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