UP NEXT: No. 18 Hits the Road for Top 25 Matchup with No. 12 UCLA

Thursday, February 22

Los Angeles, CA

7:30 PM

University of Utah

UCLA

UP NEXT: No. 18 Hits the Road for Top 25 Matchup with No. 12 UCLA

2/20/2024 2:16 PM | Women's Basketball

WBB Game Notes at UCLA

SALT LAKE CITY – The No. 18 Utah Utes hit the road to take on No. 12 UCLA Bruins Thursday Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m. (MT).

GAME INFORMATION
No. 18 Utah (19-7, 9-5 Pac-12) vs. No. 12 UCLA (20-5, 9-5 Pac-12).
DATE | TIME: Thursday, Feb. 22| 7:30 p.m.MT
LOCATION: Los Angeles  | Pauley Pavilion
LIVE STATS: Click Here
LIVE STREAM: Click Here
TV: ESPN
LISTEN: Click Here
TWITTER UPDATES: @UtahWBB

HOW TO TUNE IN
Fans can watch the matchup on ESPN with Ryan Ruocco and Rebecca Lobo calling the action. The radio call will be on ESPN 700, with Tyson Ewing handling play-by-play and Milee Rustand as analyst. Live stats are on UtahUtes.com.

OPENING TIP
The Utes have posted an 19-7 record overall on the season and are 9-5 in the Pac-12 season. Earlier this season Utah upset the then No. 2 UCLA Bruins 94-81 in overtime for Utah's highest ranked win in school history. This will be Utah's 10th Top 25 matchup of the season.

LAST TIME OUT
Utah picked up its third upset win of the season downing No. 8 Colorado 77-76. The Utes had a dominant lead for the majority of the game until Colorado made an 8-0 run in the final minute to take its first lead of the game. Ines Vieira drained a pair of free throws to give Utah the lead back and despite the Buffs answering with a made layup, Utah pulled out the win thanks to Dasia Young's attack in the final seconds for a made layup.

THE UTES
Utah returned all of last year's starting five including All-American and Pac-12 Player of the Year, Alissa Pili, as well as All-American Gianna Kneepkens.Utah also brought back starters, Jenna Johnson, Kennady McQueen and Isabel Palmer. Other key players returning are Ines Vieira, Lani White and Dasia Young. Utah welcomed three transfers in Matyson Wilke, Alyssa Blanck and Samantha Crispe as well as two true freshmen Daniela Falcon Hernandez and Reese Ross to this year's squad.

The Utes lost Kneepkens after a season ending foot injury that occurred against BYU (Dec. 2).

PILI POWER
Pili currently leads Utah averaging 21.6 points per game. She's posted a career-high 37 points twice this season both against Top 10 teams.

She was named to the Wooden Award Late Season Top 20. She earned Preseason AP All-American Honorable Mention as well as being named as a Katrina McClain Midseason Top 10 Candidate. She was also named to the midseason team for the Naismith Trophy and the preseason watchlist for the WBCA Wade Trophy. Pili was placed No. 4 on the most recent ESPN Top 25 Women's Basketball Players list.

She has posted four games this season scoring 30 or more points and 13 games recording 20 or more points. She's currently shooting 56.5 percent from the field, 40.4 percent from the three and 80.2 percent from the free throw line.

Pili's career-high 37 points against No. 1 South Carolina (Dec. 10) earned her ESPN, AP and USBWA Player of the Week. She also earned Pac-12 Player of the Week.

IN THE RANKS
Utah is ranked No. 18in the latest AP Top 25 polls. Utah has been ranked in the Top 25 for 15 consecutive weeks. Utah is No. 6 in the NCAA Net Rankings. Utah is one of six Pac-12 schools currently in the Top 25.
Utah was ranked No. 5 in the AP Top 25 Preseason Poll. This was the highest preseason ranking for Utah in school history and the first time the Utes have been ranked to start a season since 2005.

AT THE TOP
Utah is the nation's No. 13 scoring team averaging 81.3 points per game. Utah is No. 7 in the nation in field goal percentage (48.9%). The Utes are No. 2 in the nation in assists per game averaging 20.3 assists per game. Utah is No. 2 in made three pointers averaging 11.0 a game and No. 9 in three point percentage (37.7). Utah is ranked in the top 10 nationally in a total of seven major statistical categories.

HEAD COACH LYNNE ROBERTS
Roberts is in her ninth season at the helm of the Utes. She has posted a 159-111 record in her time at Utah. She was named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year in 2023 after leading the team to its first ever Pac-12 regular season title. She led Utah to its second ever Sweet 16 appearance. Roberts also led the Utes to its highest AP Rankings in school history, including 12 weeks in the Top 10.

SCOUTING UCLA
The No. 9 UCLA Bruins have a 20-5 overall record and are 9-5 in Pac-12 action. The Bruins are coming off a split weekend after falling 79-77 loss to Oregon State and a 74-55 win over Oregon.

UCLA has five Bruins averaging double figures and are led by Lauren Betts who drops 15.5 points per game and averages 8.5 rebounds a game. Charisma Osborne and Kiki Rice are other big contributors for UCLA with Osborne averaging 15.1 and Rice averaging 12.7.

This will be the 24th meeting between the two teams. Utah has an 6-17 overall record against UCLA and a 2-8 record against UCLA in Los Angeles. Utah is on a three-game losing streak in the series.

NOTABLES
(all statistical rankings are updated through games of 2/19/24)

Ranked No. 22 in this week's AP Top 25 Poll
Utah has been ranked for 15 consecutive weeks this season in the Top 25. Last year, the Utes broke the record being ranked for 13 consecutive weeks in the AP Top 10 during 2022-23 and was ranked in the AP Poll 19 consecutive weeks.
The Utes are 11-2 in the Huntsman Center this year and have won 27 of their last 29 games at home.
Utah's 98-34 win over Merrimack College (Nov. 24) is Utah's largest margin of victory so far this season.
Against South Carolina State (Nov. 9), Utah had 21 made three pointers breaking the school record for most threes in a game which was previously set at 19 (vs. Lipscomb Nov. 10, 2021).
Utah's 91-84 overtime win over No. 2 UCLA (Jan. 22) marks the highest ranked win in program history.
Utah has two Utes averaging double figures in Alissa Pili (21.6) and Jenna Johnson (10.3) with Kennady McQueen on the brink (9.8).
Utah has posted five games of 100 points or more and are undefeated when hitting 100 or more in school history (25-0).
Utah is top 10 nationally in seven major statistical categories:
- No. 2 in assists per game (20.3)
- No. 9 Assist/Turnover Ratio (1.47)
- No. 7 field goal percentage (48.9)
- No. 7 scoring margin (+20.9)
- No. 2 in made three pointers per game (11.0)
- No. 5 in three point attempts per game (29.2)
- No. 9 in three point percentage (37.7)
Alissa Pili is No. 7 in the nation in total made field goals (212). She's also No. 12 in points per game (21.6) She is No. 9 in the nation for total points (561).
Alissa Pili was named Pac-12 Player of the Week (Dec. 12) after putting up back-to-back 30 point games, including a career-high 37 points against No. 1 South Carolina.
Pili was named to the Midseason Naismith Trophy Women's Basketball Player of the Year Team and is a Katrina McClain Top 25 Candidate and a Wooden Award Midseason Top 25.
Inês Vieira is No. 9 in the country in total assists with 164 on the year and No. 9 in assists per game averaging 6.3.
The Utes are coming off a historic 2022-23 season including a Pac-12 regular season title and an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance.
At the helm for the Utes is reigning Pac-12 Coach of the Year, Lynne Roberts who enters her ninth season

NEXT UP
The Utes will hit the road to take on USC Feb. 25 at 1 p.m. (MT). Utah will return to the Jon M. Huntsman Center to take on Washington State (Feb. 29) and Washington (March 2) for Senior Weekend. Utah will honor the three seniors, Dasia Young, Isabel Palmer and Alissa Pili.

FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along during the 2023-24 season on social media (Twitter: @UtahWBB | Instagram: @UtahWBB | Facebook: Facebook.com/UtahWBB).