While the Lady Runnin’ Utes only finished the Cayman Island Classic with a record of 1-1, it was an extremely successful tournament. Exhilarating runs, wire-to-wire games and a record-setting performance were all aspects of a tournament that Ute coaches and players are sure to remember.
Mississippi State
Utah started off slow in game one against Mississippi State. The Bulldogs hit the ground running and took a 26-11 lead over the Utes by the end of the first quarter. Not much improved in period two for Utah, as Mississippi State took a commanding 43-22 advantage into the locker room at halftime. However, a rather deflated Utah team wouldn’t stop fighting, as the second half quickly became a different ballgame.
Utah flipped the script in the third quarter, taking a 35-10 scoring run to the game’s final minutes. On the backs of 17 points from Gianna Kneepkens and 13 points from Jenna Johnson, Utah rallied all the way back from what was a 24-point deficit. A Kennady McQueen 3-pointer with 1:23 left on the clock gave the Utes a 60-59 lead, their first since the initial minutes of the game.
Unfortunately, the Utes weren’t able to hold on to their late lead. Mississippi State ended the game on a scoring run, winning 66-62. Utah’s momentum didn’t cease there, however, as they looked forward to facing an elite opponent in Notre Dame two days later.
No. 3 Notre Dame
The momentum that head coach Gavin Petersen’s Utes had in the second half against Mississippi State carried over to Saturday, as Utah took it to No. 3 Notre Dame from the jump. A fast-paced first quarter of action had the Utes up 19-18 in what was looking like an even matchup.
Notre Dame commanded the game in the second quarter. A 19-9 run put the Fighting Irish ahead 37-28 with 1:02 to play in the half. Another poor second quarter in the Cayman Islands had the Utes scrambling to find any sort of motivation to take into the third quarter.
Just when things were starting to look grim for the Utes, a 16-0 scoring run sparked a major comeback. A dominant second half of action by Matyson Wilke, Reese Ross and Johnson gave the Utes a lead that they didn’t let go in the fourth quarter.
Another surging second half put the Utes in prime position against one of the premier programs in the nation. A memorable 78-67 victory gave Utah Women’s Basketball their highest-ranked neutral site victory in program history. Marquee wins like this go a long way in building morale and confidence for a new coach with veteran players.
After the game, Coach Petersen offered his remarks on the win.
“I am extremely proud of our team. They showed resilience tonight. They were dialed in today and executed,” he said. “They are starting to buy into our circle. What I mean by that is that we are starting to pick people up when they’re having down days and celebrating every small victory.”
He also praised specific players for what they bring to the team chemistry and contribute to wins.
“Inês [Vieira] is our engine. Since day one she has continued to improve. She has contagious energy and her personality is our heartbeat,” he said. “We have our anchor in Jenna Johnson who just continued to show up consistently for the team in tough moments. We have the superstars in Kennady McQueen and Matyson Wilke who splash when we need them to. Reese Ross is really starting to find her stride and excel in her role and Mayé [Touré] keeps striving to be better and constantly pushing on ways to best contribute to our team. We are really starting to gel together as one unit.”
Looking Forward
The Utes will face the Utah State Aggies on Wednesday, Dec. 4, at the Delta Center. Wrapping up preseason play with Utah State, Princeton and Washington will provide another challenge for Utah before conference play starts on Dec. 21 vs. Arizona State. A successful tournament in the Cayman Island Classic is just what the Lady Runnin’ Utes needed as they look to continue riding the wave that has been the 2024-25 season.
