Utah earned its fourth win of the season on Thursday night when it beat CSUN 97-56. The last time Utah outscored an opponent at that rate was Nov. 14, 2010 against San Jose Tech.
Utah’s team play was led by senior point guard Dani Rodriguez, who earned her first career double-double with 13 points and 11 assists and also chipped in six rebounds . Rodriguez was near-perfect from the floor as well, shooting 6-of-8, but she credits her success to her team.
“It’s on my teammates,” Rodriguez said. “They’re running the floor great, and I’m just doing my job, being the outlet, and they put the ball in the basket.”
She may have had a praiseworthy Thursday night performance, but Rodriguez was also recently honored for her presence off the court. On Wednesday, she was nominated for the second year in a row to the Allstate WBCA Good Works Team, an award honoring student-athletes for their work in their respective communities.
Rodriguez has spent time visiting local elementary and middle schools in the Salt Lake valley, playing and reading with students. Rodriguez helped organize a “Lunch for the Lunchless” campaign in which she helped make food to feed the homeless population of Salt Lake City. She has also spent time on a project called “Dog Days of Winter,” a program to assist senior citizens walk their dogs during the icy and often dangerous winter conditions.
“That’s what I love to do … it makes me feel really good to be recognized for it,” Rodriguez said.
Head coach Lynne Roberts admires Rodriguez for her off-court work and thinks she does a great job representing Utah wherever she is.
“I’m very proud of Dani being nominated for the Allstate WBCA Good Works Team,” Roberts said. “We want high-character kids in our program who are willing to get involved and make a difference in the community. Dani is a prime example of that commitment to service.”
Aside from Rodriguez’s on-court performance, Utah backup post Josetta Fatuesi earned extended minutes against CSUN due to her strong play on the glass.
“I try to bring energy when I come in the game,” Fatuesi said. “[Emily] Potter does a great job, she scores every time. I just try to do what she does when I come in.”
Roberts thinks Fatuesi’s hard work is finally paying off and she notices a difference in her when she steps out onto the court.
“She was good, she really was good,” Roberts said. “She has worked really hard on her fitness and her endurance and it’s showing. She is such a mismatch for opposing teams.”
Utah controlled this game from the tip-off, opening the game on a 16-2 run. Potter was dominant early, using her size against the smaller Matadors to control the glass on both ends of the floor.
Utah pulled back on the reins in the fourth quarter, since they had a lead of 40 points. With just under two minutes to play, the ball swung to Gabi Bowie, who took the corner three that would have taken the team to 100 points in regulation, a feat Utah hasn’t accomplished since Nov. 22, 2000.
Although the team didn’t reach triple digits, Utah players were all smiles following their 41-point beat-down. Thursday’s matchup was a game of adjustments for Utah, as the team looked to improve on their play in the Junkanoo Jam the previous week.
“The biggest thing that we learned about ourselves in the Bahamas was that when we don’t share the ball, don’t make the extra pass, we’re not very good,” Roberts said.
Rodriguez could not agree more with Roberts. In total, the team recorded 25 assists and shot 51 percent from the floor, and the senior hopes the team can build off of this performance, just as they did the previous couple of losses.
“The two games we lost last week were a great learning experience,” Rodriguez said. “Tonight we executed. We came together, we shared the ball.”
Utah faces Creighton on Wednesday in the Huntsman Center at 7 p.m.
@WestinJay