Utah women’s basketball picked up right where they left off last season, earning an impressive 105-52 victory over Southern Utah. 

Head coach Lynne Roberts was pleased with her team’s performance. “I’m proud of our team … I think there were some first-game nerves and all those things, but I thought our veteran guys looked so good,” she said.

The Runnin’ Utes stuffed the stat sheet offensively with five players scoring in the double-digits. Gianna Kneepkens led the way for the Utes with 18 points to go along with four rebounds and four assists. Despite suffering a season-ending knee injury in the 2023-24 season, Kneepkens didn’t skip a beat in her first game back against the Thunderbirds.

When asked how it felt to get back into the action, Kneepkens said, “There’s no words to describe it. The past 11 months have been hard, but God blessed me with great people in my life. It just feels really great to be back.”

Kneepkens wasn’t the only returning starter to hit the ground running for the Utes. Senior forward Jenna Johnson’s quickness off the dribble was too much for Southern Utah to handle. The Minnesota native put up 16 points in as many minutes while shooting 8/9 from the field. 

Senior guard Inês Vieira played well on both ends of the floor for the Utes. The former All-Pac-12 Defensive Team Player racked up three steals to go along with seven assists. Coach Roberts applauded the team’s ball movement. “We talked about wanting 25 assists or more and we got 26 on 40 made baskets. We hit 13 threes. We can shoot it, that’s not going to change.” 

In her first career game with the Utes, Mayé Touré did not disappoint. The graduate student out of Rhode Island showed great signs of potential and versatility. Touré showcased her moves in the post to go along with a 3-point shot in 20 minutes of action. 

The star off the bench for the Utes was Reese Ross. The sophomore out of Rapid City, South Dakota was a perfect 6/6 from the field. Ross paired her scoring with seven total rebounds to put together a very productive 20 minutes for her team. Her game is reminiscent of Johnson’s and she is someone to keep an eye on moving forward for the Utes. 

Looking forward, the Utes will have a couple days to recover before taking on Weber State at home on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. 

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