Utah Women’s Basketball Advances To Second Round Of NCAA Tournament
Mar 23, 2024, 9:59 PM | Updated: 10:08 pm
SPOKANE, WA – The five seed Utah women’s basketball team started their NCAA Tournament journey at the McCarthey Athletic Center against 12 seed South Dakota State.
Utah came up short in Las Vegas to the UCLA Bruins in the Pac-12 Tournament two weeks back and are now looking to make a run against teams unfamiliar with them in the Big Dance. That of course starts on March 23 against the Jackrabbits in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Utes got off to a quick start over SDSU ending the first quarter with a 20-3 lead. However, the Jackrabbits battled back making it a three-point game going into the locker room with the Utes narrowly in front, 27-24.
HALFTIME
Utah goes into the locker room with a narrow 27-24 lead over SDSU. The Utes had a 20-3 lead at the end of the first quarter that absolutely evaporated in the second quarter.
Second half could be interesting.#Utes
— Michelle Bodkin (@BodkinKSLsports) March 24, 2024
The Jackrabbits proved pesky, but Utah eventually pulled away with a 68-54 win.
#LightTheU@utahwbb advances to the second round of the NCAA Tournament beating SDSU 68-54. They will take on host Gonzaga on Monday.#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/rw1VmpUcMz
— Michelle Bodkin (@BodkinKSLsports) March 24, 2024
Starting Lineups For Utah Women Vs. South Dakota State
First Round Starting 5⃣ #GoUtes pic.twitter.com/7tpYVt0tK9
— Utah Women’s Basketball (@UTAHWBB) March 24, 2024
Starting 5️⃣ pic.twitter.com/nDCN8wzxGS
— Jackrabbit WBB (@GoJacksWBB) March 24, 2024
Up Next For Utah Women’s Basketball In The NCAA Tournament
With the win over South Dakota State, the Utes will now turn their attention to host Gonzaga for the second round of the NCAA Tournament. That game will take place on Monday, March 25 at 8:30 pm MT/7:30 pm PT.
The winner of that game will head to Portland for the Sweet 16.
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Utah Women’s Basketball Stats Leaders In The NCAA Tournament First Round
- Scoring Leader: Alissa Pili – 26 points
- Rebound Leader: Jenna Johnson – 10 rebounds
- Assists Leader: Kennady McQueen – 6 assists
Utah women’s basketball standout Alissa Pili led all scoring with 26 points while adding seven rebounds, three assists, one block, and two steals.
Kennady McQueen came second in scoring with 17 points while leading the team in assists with six. McQueen also added four rebounds and two steals.
Jenna Johnson was the third leading scorer with eight points and was the leading rebounder with 10.
Noteworthy Utes WBB Stats In The NCAA First Round
The Utah women shot 47% from the field, 30% from the three, and 75% from their trips to the line.
The Utes collected 33 rebounds, 20 assists, four blocks, 11 steals and 12 turnovers.
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 X, Instagram, and Threads: @BodkinKSLsports
