Utah Women’s Basketball Roll ‘Bama, Move Up In The Latest Polls
Nov 21, 2022, 7:33 PM
Utah Utes head coach Lynne Roberts coaches against Weber State Wildcats during a basketball game at Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018. (Qiling Wang, Deseret News)
(Qiling Wang, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY- Utah women’s basketball inked their fifth win of the season rolling Alabama, 93-86, and moving up in the latest AP Top 25 Polls. Before taking on the Crimson Tide, the Utes earned a No. 17 ranking before going on to prove once again they belong there.
Enough Said. 🙌#GoUtes | #MoveOnUp pic.twitter.com/5Klw7m5AU7
— Utah Women’s Basketball (@UTAHWBB) November 21, 2022
While Utah put some distance between them and ‘Bama toward the end, the game was a back-and-forth contest where the Crimson Tide did build a double-digit lead at one point. The Utes didn’t flinch and kept battling back to earn their first win in the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championships.
“This was a really good win for us against a very good Alabama team,” head coach Lynne Roberts said. “We got tested today and answered the bell. Once we settled down and took better care of the ball, we were ourselves. In the second half, we were much better defensively. Overall, just a great win for our program. I have so much respect for Alabama’s program- happy to get the win today.”
Utes Who Took Charge
Four Utes posted double-digit scoring against Alabama in Monday’s afternoon battle. Gianna Kneepkens posted her second-straight 21-point game which was the team high. Alissa Pili put up 18 points, Jenna Johnson had 17, and Isabel Palmer came through with 12 points.
.@giannakneepkens led the team with 21 points to go with 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals! @UtahWBB | #GoUtes https://t.co/ibkXbdDjfW pic.twitter.com/x8NjUjF1ZY
— Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) November 21, 2022
Johnson was the team leader in rebounds with five and Palmer led the charge in assists with six.
The team shot 58% from the floor against Alabama while posting an impressive 27-28 on free throw shots which put them at 96.4% on the night.
Coming Up Next
The Utes will continue their journey in the Bahamas on Wednesday taking on Ole Miss to finish out the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championships. The game tips off at 5:00 pm MT and live stats can be found on UtahUtes.com
Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @BodkinKSLsports
