Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball versus Western Colorado (EXHIBITION) on October 27, 2025 at TBD
TBD
Women's Basketball
vs Western Colorado (EXHIBITION)
Saturday, December 17
Salt Lake City, UT
12:00 PM
University of Utah
10-0,1-0Pac-12
92
vs
45
UC Riverside
2-7,0-0Big West
1
2
3
4
F
UC Riverside
6
9
14
16
45
Utah
19
24
30
19
92
Team Stats
UCR
Utah
FG%
.288
.522
3FG%
.333
.316
FT%
.625
.824
RB
21
48
TO
19
15
STL
8
12
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
15
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
8
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
Photo by: Eli Rehmer
No. 13 Utes Roll to 10-0 with 92-45 Victory Over UC Riverside
12/17/2022 3:10 PM | Women's Basketball
All 12 Utah players saw action and Utes reach third 10-0 start under Lynne Roberts
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah women's basketball team improved to 10-0 on Saturday with a 92-45 non-conference victory over visiting UC Riverside at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Sophomore Jenna Johnson led three Utah players in double figures with a game-high 18 points and added four rebounds, while junior Alissa Pili followed with 15 points, four rebounds and a career-high five assists to propel Utah (10-0, 1-0 Pac-12) to its third 10-0 start to a season in head coach Lynne Roberts' eight seasons leading the program.
Utah's balanced attack paved the way for the victory, as all 12 available players saw action in the game and 11 scored. All 12 recorded at least one rebound. The Utes outrebounded the Highlanders 48-21, and assisted on 21 of their 36 field goals (58 percent). Dasia Young played a key role off the bench for the Utes with 12 points, including 8-10 shooting from the free-throw line, and added four rebounds, two steals and one assist.
Junior forward Peyton McFarland earned a loud ovation from the crowd and a big reaction from her teammates when she entered the game at the 1:31 mark of the first quarter, seeing her first game action since sustaining a season-ending injury last March.
After a low-scoring first quarter, in which Utah held UC Riverside scoreless for the final 6:18 of the period, the home team got the crowd into the game by shooting 67 percent from the field (22-of-33) over the middle two quarters to build an insurmountable lead that grew to as many as 49 points, at 80-31, early in the fourth quarter. Saturday's game was Utah's fifth of the season won by a margin of 37 or more points.
The Utes are off to their best start since 2018-19 when they also started 10-0, and have won 10 of their last 11 home games dating back to last season. This marks the third-best start in program history, following the 12-0 start in 2018-19 and 11-0 in 2016-17.
This was the basketball program's Inclusion and Diversity Game, and included a number of recognitions and awareness pieces, and the Ute Tribe performed at halftime.
Jenna Johnson (18 points, 8-11 FGs) and Alissa Pili (15 points, 7-10 FGs) led three Utes in double-figure scoring, while Kelsey Rees (6 rebounds) and Isabel Palmer (6 reb., season high) led the team on the glass. Ines Vieira and Pili led the Utes with five assists apiece, and Vieira contributed a season-high three steals.
TALKING ABOUT THE GAME: HEAD COACH LYNNE ROBERTS
"We didn't shoot the ball tremendously well, but I thought our inside game was really good. (Alissa) Pili, Jenna (Johnson) … Kelsey (Rees) did a nice job defensively. Teya (Sidberry) was very active, and then Naya (Ojukwu) is getting more and more minutes and learning. I thought Lani White had a good game. She did a good job, took a charge, hit a couple threes and was talking. It's important in these games to get those players who haven't played a ton some confidence and minutes, and they did a good job. It was a great day, great win and good crowd, so I'm pleased."
On Peyton McFarland playing for the first time since injury last March:
"Coming back from an ACL is such a hard, arduous process and the gains are so tiny from week to week, especially in the beginning. It can really mess with your mind. But Peyton stayed engaged, stayed motivated, and I'm so proud of her. It was a big moment for our whole team for her to check-in in that second quarter. She only got to play five minutes today, but I'm just so proud of her for how she has fought through all this. It's great to have her back. Everybody knows she's a talent. It will take her a little bit to get her feet under her, but she should be in full force soon, and that just makes us a better team. I'm so excited to have her playing again."
STANDOUT STATS
Utah wraps up non-conference play next week with a road tilt at Weber State on Tuesday, Dec. 20, at 5:30 p.m. (ESPN+) and a home game against Southern Utah on Thursday, Dec. 22, at 5 p.m. (Pac-12 Mountain). Tyson Ewing and Milee Enger will have the call of the contests on ESPN700, and live stats can be found at UtahUtes.com.
Follow the Utes!
Fans can follow along during the 2022-23 season on social media (Twitter: @UtahWBB | Instagram: @UtahWBB | Facebook: Facebook.com/UtahWBB).
Utah's balanced attack paved the way for the victory, as all 12 available players saw action in the game and 11 scored. All 12 recorded at least one rebound. The Utes outrebounded the Highlanders 48-21, and assisted on 21 of their 36 field goals (58 percent). Dasia Young played a key role off the bench for the Utes with 12 points, including 8-10 shooting from the free-throw line, and added four rebounds, two steals and one assist.
Junior forward Peyton McFarland earned a loud ovation from the crowd and a big reaction from her teammates when she entered the game at the 1:31 mark of the first quarter, seeing her first game action since sustaining a season-ending injury last March.
After a low-scoring first quarter, in which Utah held UC Riverside scoreless for the final 6:18 of the period, the home team got the crowd into the game by shooting 67 percent from the field (22-of-33) over the middle two quarters to build an insurmountable lead that grew to as many as 49 points, at 80-31, early in the fourth quarter. Saturday's game was Utah's fifth of the season won by a margin of 37 or more points.
The Utes are off to their best start since 2018-19 when they also started 10-0, and have won 10 of their last 11 home games dating back to last season. This marks the third-best start in program history, following the 12-0 start in 2018-19 and 11-0 in 2016-17.
This was the basketball program's Inclusion and Diversity Game, and included a number of recognitions and awareness pieces, and the Ute Tribe performed at halftime.
GAME LEADERSFeed from @alissa_pili to @jenna_johnson22 who has a game-high 16 points!
— Utah Women's Basketball (@UTAHWBB) December 17, 2022
The assist from Pili is her 5th of the game, a career high!#GoUteshttps://t.co/RKk0fDtz77 pic.twitter.com/rCBmY4aJM4
Jenna Johnson (18 points, 8-11 FGs) and Alissa Pili (15 points, 7-10 FGs) led three Utes in double-figure scoring, while Kelsey Rees (6 rebounds) and Isabel Palmer (6 reb., season high) led the team on the glass. Ines Vieira and Pili led the Utes with five assists apiece, and Vieira contributed a season-high three steals.
TALKING ABOUT THE GAME: HEAD COACH LYNNE ROBERTS
"We didn't shoot the ball tremendously well, but I thought our inside game was really good. (Alissa) Pili, Jenna (Johnson) … Kelsey (Rees) did a nice job defensively. Teya (Sidberry) was very active, and then Naya (Ojukwu) is getting more and more minutes and learning. I thought Lani White had a good game. She did a good job, took a charge, hit a couple threes and was talking. It's important in these games to get those players who haven't played a ton some confidence and minutes, and they did a good job. It was a great day, great win and good crowd, so I'm pleased."
On Peyton McFarland playing for the first time since injury last March:
"Coming back from an ACL is such a hard, arduous process and the gains are so tiny from week to week, especially in the beginning. It can really mess with your mind. But Peyton stayed engaged, stayed motivated, and I'm so proud of her. It was a big moment for our whole team for her to check-in in that second quarter. She only got to play five minutes today, but I'm just so proud of her for how she has fought through all this. It's great to have her back. Everybody knows she's a talent. It will take her a little bit to get her feet under her, but she should be in full force soon, and that just makes us a better team. I'm so excited to have her playing again."
STANDOUT STATS
- All 12 available Utah players saw action in the game and each grabbed at least one rebound, while 11 scored a point and 11 had an assist.
- The Utes have scored at least 85 points in all six of their home games, averaging 97.5 points per game. Utah ranked second in the nation in scoring entering the game, and now averages 93.2 for the season.
Utah wraps up non-conference play next week with a road tilt at Weber State on Tuesday, Dec. 20, at 5:30 p.m. (ESPN+) and a home game against Southern Utah on Thursday, Dec. 22, at 5 p.m. (Pac-12 Mountain). Tyson Ewing and Milee Enger will have the call of the contests on ESPN700, and live stats can be found at UtahUtes.com.
Follow the Utes!
Fans can follow along during the 2022-23 season on social media (Twitter: @UtahWBB | Instagram: @UtahWBB | Facebook: Facebook.com/UtahWBB).
Layup by Naya!!
— Utah Women's Basketball (@UTAHWBB) December 17, 2022
Balanced attack, as 10 players have scored in the first half.#GoUtes
WATCH: https://t.co/RKk0fDtz77 pic.twitter.com/QrffdT234j
DEFENSE ?? OFFENSE
— Utah Women's Basketball (@UTAHWBB) December 17, 2022
5 steals already!@SidberryTeya @KennadyMcqueen#GoUteshttps://t.co/RKk0fDtz77 pic.twitter.com/oqmk3UkzUD
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