University of Utah
Idaho (EXHIBITION)
Utah Drops Exhibition Opener to Idaho
10/18/2026 4:26 PM | Women's Basketball
SALT LAKE CITY – Utah women's basketball opened its 2026-27 season Sunday afternoon with an exhibition game against Idaho, falling short 78-62.
The Utes were led by freshman Peyton Jones' 15 points and Lena Girardi's 15 points. Girardi's 15 included a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line. Filipa Barros led the team with eight rebounds and four assists.Â
GAME SUMMARY
Lena Girardi opened the scoring for Utah with a three-pointer and four free throws to lead the Utes with seven points in the first quarter. Utah jumped out to an early 9-2 lead but Idaho responded late to take a 14-12 lead to close out the first quarter.
Utah came out strong in the second quarter, with Peyton Jones scoring seven points to help the Utes regain the lead. Points from Filipa Barros and Lena Girardi gave Utah a 5-0 run and extended Utah's lead to 26-19 halfway through the quarter. The Utes held on to a 30-28 lead going into halftime.
Utah opened the third quarter with points from Girardi and Oliva Bradley before Idaho held the Utes to nearly a four minute scoring drought. Idaho pulled ahead with an 18-2 run. Jones helped Utah close the gap with two three-pointers in the final minute followed by two free throws from Barros. The Vandals outscored Utah 29-16 in the third quarter to pull ahead for a 57-46 lead.
Utah continued to battle in the fourth quarter but ultimately fell to the Vandals 78-62.
LEADERS
Utah had two Utes score in double figures and were led by Lena Girardi and Peyton Jones with 15 points each. Filipa Barros added nine points and a team-high eight rebounds. Barros also led the Utes with four assists, while Chrya Evans contributed six rebounds and three assists.
COMPARISON
Utah shot 31.0% from the field while Idaho shot 38.0%. Utah went 23.0% from three knocking down 6-of-26 while Idaho shot 31% going 9-of-29. At the free-throw line, Utah shot 79.0% going 22-of-28 while Idaho also shot 79.0% converting 15-of-19.Â
Utah had 12 assists on 17 made field goals while Idaho had 14 assists on 27 made field goals.
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along during the 2026-27 season on social media (Twitter: @UtahWBB | Instagram: @UtahWBB | Facebook: Facebook.com/UtahWBB).
