Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball versus Western Colorado (EXHIBITION) on October 27, 2025 at TBD
TBD
Women's Basketball
vs Western Colorado (EXHIBITION)
Saturday, January 11
Salt Lake City, Utah
1:30 PM
University of Utah
13-3,4-1Big 12
69
vs
42
Houston
4-12,0-5Big 12
1
2
3
4
F
Houston
6
17
11
8
42
Utah
15
13
17
24
69
No. 22 Utah Bounces Back with a 69-42 Victory Over Houston
1/11/2025 4:30 PM | Women's Basketball
SALT LAKE CITY – The No. 22 Utah women's basketball team bounced back with a 69-42 win over Houston on Saturday afternoon. Utah is now 13-3 overall on the season and sit at 4-1 in Big 12 play.
Utah outscored Houston 41-19 in the second half and held Houston to just one free throw for nearly 10 minutes of play. The Utes were led by Mayé Touré who put up a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Gianna Kneepkens had an impressive stat line for the Utes with 15 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
GAME SUMMARY
Mayé Touré started the game by knocking down a triple for Utah. The Utes then pushed out for a 15-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The two teams leaped frogged in scoring throughout the second quarter with no major momentum shifts. The Cougars did outscore the Utes 17-13 but Utah was able to maintain the lead with a 28-23 score going into the halftime break.
Utah found its groove late in the third quarter going on an 8-0 run and held Houston scoreless for over four minutes. The Utes pushed out for a 45-34 lead going into the final quarter of play.
The Utes defense stayed locked in to start the final quarter of play and kept the Cougars to just one made free throw for the initial five minutes of the fourth quarter. During that time Utah went on a 13-0 run and continued the momentum for a 20-2 run. Utah controlled the pace and shot 11-of-15 from the field in the fourth quarter for 24 points.
Utah ended up outscoring Houston 41-19 in the second half to propel the Utes to a 69-42 victory.
LEADERS
Utah had three players score in double figures and were led by Mayé Touré's double-double with 22 points and a season-high 12 rebounds. Gianna Kneepkens had herself a game with 15 points, nine rebounds and a season-high seven assists.
Matyson Wilke had 11 points for Utah while Reese Ross pulled down seven rebounds and added a career-high four steals. Inês Vieira tied her career-high with eight rebounds and added five assists for the Utes.
COMPARISON
Utah shot 46.2% from the field while Houston shot 25.9% from the field. Utah went 25.0% from deep making just 6-of-24 while Houston went 42.8% shooting 7-of-16. The Utes went 3-of-7 from the free throw line for 42.9% while the Cougars went 5-of-9 for 55.6%.
Utah had 22 assists on 30 made field goals while Houston had eight assists on 15 made field goals. The Utes dominated the boards pulling down 56 rebounds while the Cougars pulled down just 26. Utah had 48 points in the paint and 12 second chance points while Houston had just 12 points in the paint and two second chance points.
NOTABLES
Utah's 19 offensive boards marks a season high performance for the Utes.
Mayé Touré's double-double of 22 points and 12 rebounds marks her first double-double as a Ute. This was Touré's fourth 20-point game of the season.
Utah is now 2-1 over Houston in the all-time opponent series.
HEAR FROM THE UTES
Head Coach Gavin Petersen
Overall Statement
"Great bounce back win after a tough loss to K-State. We had to get back to the drawing boards and attack. It took us a little while but I'm proud of our effort. We had a season high 19 offensive rebounds and that was something we've been preaching about. We went from six assists last game to 22 tonight and that's more on par with Utah basketball. We knew Houston was going to come in and play hard and they always compete. Regardless of their record they are going to show up and give you their best shot. Overall, really proud of our effort."
On Mayé Touré . . .
"I think Mayé is the type of player that's mature and skilled. She has so much potential and still has so much more to tap into. She's a student of the game and is always in my office asking questions, asking to watch film and willing to grow. We hold her to a higher standard and we're going to keep pushing that standard and keep pushing her to get better. She is capable of elevating. She's going to be scary come March."
Gianna Kneepkens, junior, guard
On the offensive improvement. . .
"We just have to have the mindset that 'I believe in myself and my teammates and every shot is going in.' Against Kansas State, we started missing shots and got tight and we started rushing and losing our spacing. We had to switch up our mindset to focus on the little things and not hyper focusing on our missed shots."
Mayé Touré, graduate, forward
On the team's rebounding efforts. . .
"I think rebounding is a great tool for us because we have great guards. If everyone is crashing it opens more opportunities for us to score and give us chances to hit more from the perimeter. When we're hitting threes, it's a great day for us."
On syncing with the team chemistry . . .
"I think practicing together and getting adapted to the system more has been a big help for me. My teammates are great and learn how to play with me every day. They put me in a great position to score. I couldn't do that by myself. It's just the team chemistry we've been building with time and it's just going to keep growing."
UP NEXT
Utah will continue Big 12 play by hitting the road to take on Baylor on Jan. 14 before heading to TCU Jan. 18. The Utes will return to the Jon M. Huntsman Center, Wednesday, Jan. 22 to take on Kansas.
OFFICIAL MOBILE APP OF UTAH ATHLETICS – UTAH 360
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).
Utah outscored Houston 41-19 in the second half and held Houston to just one free throw for nearly 10 minutes of play. The Utes were led by Mayé Touré who put up a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Gianna Kneepkens had an impressive stat line for the Utes with 15 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
GAME SUMMARY
Mayé Touré started the game by knocking down a triple for Utah. The Utes then pushed out for a 15-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The two teams leaped frogged in scoring throughout the second quarter with no major momentum shifts. The Cougars did outscore the Utes 17-13 but Utah was able to maintain the lead with a 28-23 score going into the halftime break.
Utah found its groove late in the third quarter going on an 8-0 run and held Houston scoreless for over four minutes. The Utes pushed out for a 45-34 lead going into the final quarter of play.
The Utes defense stayed locked in to start the final quarter of play and kept the Cougars to just one made free throw for the initial five minutes of the fourth quarter. During that time Utah went on a 13-0 run and continued the momentum for a 20-2 run. Utah controlled the pace and shot 11-of-15 from the field in the fourth quarter for 24 points.
Utah ended up outscoring Houston 41-19 in the second half to propel the Utes to a 69-42 victory.
LEADERS
Utah had three players score in double figures and were led by Mayé Touré's double-double with 22 points and a season-high 12 rebounds. Gianna Kneepkens had herself a game with 15 points, nine rebounds and a season-high seven assists.
Matyson Wilke had 11 points for Utah while Reese Ross pulled down seven rebounds and added a career-high four steals. Inês Vieira tied her career-high with eight rebounds and added five assists for the Utes.
COMPARISON
Utah shot 46.2% from the field while Houston shot 25.9% from the field. Utah went 25.0% from deep making just 6-of-24 while Houston went 42.8% shooting 7-of-16. The Utes went 3-of-7 from the free throw line for 42.9% while the Cougars went 5-of-9 for 55.6%.
Utah had 22 assists on 30 made field goals while Houston had eight assists on 15 made field goals. The Utes dominated the boards pulling down 56 rebounds while the Cougars pulled down just 26. Utah had 48 points in the paint and 12 second chance points while Houston had just 12 points in the paint and two second chance points.
NOTABLES
Utah's 19 offensive boards marks a season high performance for the Utes.
Mayé Touré's double-double of 22 points and 12 rebounds marks her first double-double as a Ute. This was Touré's fourth 20-point game of the season.
Utah is now 2-1 over Houston in the all-time opponent series.
HEAR FROM THE UTES
Head Coach Gavin Petersen
Overall Statement
"Great bounce back win after a tough loss to K-State. We had to get back to the drawing boards and attack. It took us a little while but I'm proud of our effort. We had a season high 19 offensive rebounds and that was something we've been preaching about. We went from six assists last game to 22 tonight and that's more on par with Utah basketball. We knew Houston was going to come in and play hard and they always compete. Regardless of their record they are going to show up and give you their best shot. Overall, really proud of our effort."
On Mayé Touré . . .
"I think Mayé is the type of player that's mature and skilled. She has so much potential and still has so much more to tap into. She's a student of the game and is always in my office asking questions, asking to watch film and willing to grow. We hold her to a higher standard and we're going to keep pushing that standard and keep pushing her to get better. She is capable of elevating. She's going to be scary come March."
Gianna Kneepkens, junior, guard
On the offensive improvement. . .
"We just have to have the mindset that 'I believe in myself and my teammates and every shot is going in.' Against Kansas State, we started missing shots and got tight and we started rushing and losing our spacing. We had to switch up our mindset to focus on the little things and not hyper focusing on our missed shots."
Mayé Touré, graduate, forward
On the team's rebounding efforts. . .
"I think rebounding is a great tool for us because we have great guards. If everyone is crashing it opens more opportunities for us to score and give us chances to hit more from the perimeter. When we're hitting threes, it's a great day for us."
On syncing with the team chemistry . . .
"I think practicing together and getting adapted to the system more has been a big help for me. My teammates are great and learn how to play with me every day. They put me in a great position to score. I couldn't do that by myself. It's just the team chemistry we've been building with time and it's just going to keep growing."
UP NEXT
Utah will continue Big 12 play by hitting the road to take on Baylor on Jan. 14 before heading to TCU Jan. 18. The Utes will return to the Jon M. Huntsman Center, Wednesday, Jan. 22 to take on Kansas.
OFFICIAL MOBILE APP OF UTAH ATHLETICS – UTAH 360
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).
Team Stats
UH
Utah
FG%
.259
.462
3FG%
.438
.250
FT%
.556
.429
RB
26
56
TO
12
15
STL
8
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
22
FGM
10
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
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