Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball versus Western Colorado (EXHIBITION) on October 27, 2025 at TBD
TBD
Women's Basketball
vs Western Colorado (EXHIBITION)
Sunday, December 8
Salt Lake City, Utah
2:00 PM
University of Utah
8-2,0-0Big 12
79
vs
76
Princeton
5-4,0-0Ivy League
1
2
3
4
F
Princeton
16
18
17
25
76
Utah
16
24
24
15
79
Photo by: Liv Medivitz/Utah Athletics
Utah Pulls Out 79-76 Victory Over Princeton
12/8/2024 5:59 PM | Women's Basketball
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah women's basketball team pulled out a 79-76 win over Princeton Sunday afternoon.
The Utes had an 18-point lead in the third quarter but the Tigers chipped away to trail by just one in the final minute. Utah solidified the victory thanks to a pair of free throws by Gianna Kneepkens pushing the final score to 79-76. The Utes were led by Kneepkens who had 19 points.
GAME SUMMARY
The Utes went on a 12-2 scoring run late in the first quarter, backed by points from Reese Ross and a made three-pointer from Jenna Johnson. Princeton battled back and tied the game up at 16-16 as the initial quarter of play concluded.
Matyson Wilke provided a big spark in the second quarter for Utah by draining back-to-back three-pointers to give the Utes a 23-20 lead. Utah pulled ahead from Princeton thanks to another Wilke triple and a Mayé Touré driving layup that drew the foul to convert for a three-point play. The Utes went into the half with a six-point lead with a 40-34 score.
Kennady McQueen came out of the half red-hot dropping eight points in just four minutes to help extend the Utah lead to 13. Princeton had a late surge in the third quarter with a 7-0 run but the Utes held on with a 64-51 lead heading into the final quarter of play.
Princeton controlled momentum in the fourth quarter battling back to tie the game at 72-72 with 2:52 on the clock. Gianna Kneepkens drove to the hoop for two and Wilke followed that up with her fourth made three of the night to push the Utes out to a five point lead.
In the final minute, Princeton went to the line for the chance to tie the game and sunk just one-of-two free throws leaving Utah with the one point advantage. In Utah's final possession, Kneepkens was placed on the line with three seconds left in the game and sank two free throws to give Utah the 79-76 victory over the Tigers.
LEADERS
Utah had three players score in double figures and were led by Gianna Kneepkens' 19 points. Mayé Touré had 15 points while Matyson Wilke added 14 including four made from beyond the arc.
Reese Ross fell just one shy of double digit scoring with nine on the night. She led the team in rebounds pulling down seven. Inês Vieira had eight points and added six assists to help Utah's offensive efforts. She also had three steals to help on the defensive side of the ball.
COMPARISON
Utah shot 46.6 percent from the field while Princeton shot 54.5 percent. Utah went 39.3 percent from deep making 11-of-28 while Princeton went 44.4 percent shooting 8-of-18. The Utes went 14-of-16 from the line for 87.5 percent while the Tigers went 8-of-12 for 66.7 percent.
Utah had 17 assists on 27 made field goals while Princeton had 15 assists on 30 made field goals. The Utes outrebounded the Tigers 31-26.
NOTABLES
Utah is now 8-2 overall on the season.
The Utes now hold a 2-0 record in the all-time series record with Princeton.
Utah remains undefeated in the Huntsman Center so far on the season sitting at 7-0. The Utes have won 35 of the last 38 games at home.
Hear from the Utes
Head Coach Gavin Petersen
Overall thoughts . . .
"Today was a great gutty win. Something we've been talking about and addressing over the last two days has been consistency, and I think with how we practiced the last couple of days, it showed up again today. Hats off to Princeton. I knew it was going to be a close game, so we actually practiced end of game out of bounds plays, because I knew we were going to need them for this game. I have so much respect for Princeton and their program. They are always going to be in games because they don't relent and they don't give up. That's something I believe we have as well. It's something I'm glad we can learn and move forward and I'm proud that we're able to hold on for that victory."
On takeaways from another close home victory . . .
"I think it's good that we have been put in these types of situations. I mean, Princeton's an NCAA tournament team. They're going to be there in March. This gives us a glimpse into conference play, the intensity of it and how close it's going to be. It is good that we're able to execute and be able to defend end of the game situations. I would say we're better defensively at the end of the game than we were against St. Joseph's. With experience and more practice time, we'll lock it in, and we'll dial it in. Our job is to not let it be close, especially here in the Huntsman."
On Matyson Wilke's performance . . .
"First and foremost, what a luxury I have to have Maty come off the bench. She is a starter, plain and simple. If I could start six, I would. She's that good. It's just a luxury to have that I don't take for granted. She can play any position. You can ask her, how many reps she gets playing the trail post or how many practice reps she gets playing the point guard and the answer will be zero. But she shows up with a 'What do you need?' attitude and then does it. No questions asked. She's just an incredibly talented player. She went into the game tonight, kind of overthinking. I pulled her aside, asked her what's wrong and she told me she was overthinking to which I responded "Alright, you're too good to overthink, just go play.'"
Gianna Kneepkens, junior, guard
On the toughness of Princeton. . .
"We knew coming in that they're a good team. They were coming off a loss too and any competitive tournament team is not going to just be like, 'Oh, we lost,' and let it go and come in soft, they're gonna come in hard. So, we were prepared for it. We just have to stay locked in when we get those big leads, because in future games, when we let loose of the reins, other teams are going to take advantage of it. It won't always turn towards a win. We got to just lock in and stay intense throughout all 40 minutes."
Matyson Wilke, junior, guard
On her performance . . .
"I think when anyone makes a big three on our team, it's kind of like a boost of confidence and the weight releases a little bit. That's part of my job coming off the bench. I see what needs to be done on the court and try and step up. So sometimes my job is to hit threes, sometimes it's to get to the paint. It's whatever it needs to be on the day. Today I was just the one to be the one hitting from three."
UP NEXT
Utah is set to take on former Pac-12 foe, Washington on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 7:30 p.m. (MT) in Seattle in the final non-conference game of the season. Utah will then kick off Big 12 action on Dec. 21 hosting Arizona State at 4 p.m. (MT) in the Huntsman Center.
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).
The Utes had an 18-point lead in the third quarter but the Tigers chipped away to trail by just one in the final minute. Utah solidified the victory thanks to a pair of free throws by Gianna Kneepkens pushing the final score to 79-76. The Utes were led by Kneepkens who had 19 points.
GAME SUMMARY
The Utes went on a 12-2 scoring run late in the first quarter, backed by points from Reese Ross and a made three-pointer from Jenna Johnson. Princeton battled back and tied the game up at 16-16 as the initial quarter of play concluded.
Matyson Wilke provided a big spark in the second quarter for Utah by draining back-to-back three-pointers to give the Utes a 23-20 lead. Utah pulled ahead from Princeton thanks to another Wilke triple and a Mayé Touré driving layup that drew the foul to convert for a three-point play. The Utes went into the half with a six-point lead with a 40-34 score.
Kennady McQueen came out of the half red-hot dropping eight points in just four minutes to help extend the Utah lead to 13. Princeton had a late surge in the third quarter with a 7-0 run but the Utes held on with a 64-51 lead heading into the final quarter of play.
Princeton controlled momentum in the fourth quarter battling back to tie the game at 72-72 with 2:52 on the clock. Gianna Kneepkens drove to the hoop for two and Wilke followed that up with her fourth made three of the night to push the Utes out to a five point lead.
In the final minute, Princeton went to the line for the chance to tie the game and sunk just one-of-two free throws leaving Utah with the one point advantage. In Utah's final possession, Kneepkens was placed on the line with three seconds left in the game and sank two free throws to give Utah the 79-76 victory over the Tigers.
LEADERS
Utah had three players score in double figures and were led by Gianna Kneepkens' 19 points. Mayé Touré had 15 points while Matyson Wilke added 14 including four made from beyond the arc.
Reese Ross fell just one shy of double digit scoring with nine on the night. She led the team in rebounds pulling down seven. Inês Vieira had eight points and added six assists to help Utah's offensive efforts. She also had three steals to help on the defensive side of the ball.
COMPARISON
Utah shot 46.6 percent from the field while Princeton shot 54.5 percent. Utah went 39.3 percent from deep making 11-of-28 while Princeton went 44.4 percent shooting 8-of-18. The Utes went 14-of-16 from the line for 87.5 percent while the Tigers went 8-of-12 for 66.7 percent.
Utah had 17 assists on 27 made field goals while Princeton had 15 assists on 30 made field goals. The Utes outrebounded the Tigers 31-26.
NOTABLES
Utah is now 8-2 overall on the season.
The Utes now hold a 2-0 record in the all-time series record with Princeton.
Utah remains undefeated in the Huntsman Center so far on the season sitting at 7-0. The Utes have won 35 of the last 38 games at home.
Hear from the Utes
Head Coach Gavin Petersen
Overall thoughts . . .
"Today was a great gutty win. Something we've been talking about and addressing over the last two days has been consistency, and I think with how we practiced the last couple of days, it showed up again today. Hats off to Princeton. I knew it was going to be a close game, so we actually practiced end of game out of bounds plays, because I knew we were going to need them for this game. I have so much respect for Princeton and their program. They are always going to be in games because they don't relent and they don't give up. That's something I believe we have as well. It's something I'm glad we can learn and move forward and I'm proud that we're able to hold on for that victory."
On takeaways from another close home victory . . .
"I think it's good that we have been put in these types of situations. I mean, Princeton's an NCAA tournament team. They're going to be there in March. This gives us a glimpse into conference play, the intensity of it and how close it's going to be. It is good that we're able to execute and be able to defend end of the game situations. I would say we're better defensively at the end of the game than we were against St. Joseph's. With experience and more practice time, we'll lock it in, and we'll dial it in. Our job is to not let it be close, especially here in the Huntsman."
On Matyson Wilke's performance . . .
"First and foremost, what a luxury I have to have Maty come off the bench. She is a starter, plain and simple. If I could start six, I would. She's that good. It's just a luxury to have that I don't take for granted. She can play any position. You can ask her, how many reps she gets playing the trail post or how many practice reps she gets playing the point guard and the answer will be zero. But she shows up with a 'What do you need?' attitude and then does it. No questions asked. She's just an incredibly talented player. She went into the game tonight, kind of overthinking. I pulled her aside, asked her what's wrong and she told me she was overthinking to which I responded "Alright, you're too good to overthink, just go play.'"
Gianna Kneepkens, junior, guard
On the toughness of Princeton. . .
"We knew coming in that they're a good team. They were coming off a loss too and any competitive tournament team is not going to just be like, 'Oh, we lost,' and let it go and come in soft, they're gonna come in hard. So, we were prepared for it. We just have to stay locked in when we get those big leads, because in future games, when we let loose of the reins, other teams are going to take advantage of it. It won't always turn towards a win. We got to just lock in and stay intense throughout all 40 minutes."
Matyson Wilke, junior, guard
On her performance . . .
"I think when anyone makes a big three on our team, it's kind of like a boost of confidence and the weight releases a little bit. That's part of my job coming off the bench. I see what needs to be done on the court and try and step up. So sometimes my job is to hit threes, sometimes it's to get to the paint. It's whatever it needs to be on the day. Today I was just the one to be the one hitting from three."
UP NEXT
Utah is set to take on former Pac-12 foe, Washington on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 7:30 p.m. (MT) in Seattle in the final non-conference game of the season. Utah will then kick off Big 12 action on Dec. 21 hosting Arizona State at 4 p.m. (MT) in the Huntsman Center.
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
PU
Utah
FG%
.545
.466
3FG%
.444
.393
FT%
.667
.875
RB
26
31
TO
15
15
STL
5
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
19
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
5
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
4
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
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