Gianna Kneepkens Leads Utah To 92-65 Win Over Cincinnati
Feb 23, 2025, 2:03 PM
Utah women's basketball Reese Ross vs Cincinnati.
CINCINNATI – In a key Big 12 road test, Utah came out aggressive and secured a commanding victory over Cincinnati, 94-64.
With the victory, Gavin Peterson and the Utes improved to 21-6 overall and 12-4 in conference play.
This was a much-needed win for the Runnin’ Utes after they dropped a tough one to Oklahoma State earlier this week.
UTES WIN!!#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/J65Vc3p57r
— Utah Women’s Basketball (@UTAHWBB) February 23, 2025
The Utes were led by Gianna Kneepkens’ 25 points, while Kennady McQueen added 17, Maye Toue 14, Maty Wilke 13, and Reese Ross added 12 points.
Utah attacked the rim early
Utah set the tone early, emphasizing attacking the rim and getting Maye Toure involved from the start. Toure scored 8 of Utah’s 20 points in the opening quarter, all of which came in the paint.
Contrasted to her performance against Oklahoma State, it was clear Utah wanted to get Toure going. She ended the game with 14 points and 6 rebounds.
Their inside-out approach got Utah off to a strong start but also created open looks from beyond the arc. That created a comfortable lead for the Utes, who controlled the flow of the action the rest of the way.
Ultimately, Utah finished with 36 points in the paint, compared to just 16 for Cincinnati. That forced Cincinnati to collapse defensively, which later opened up perimeter shots for the Utes.
Another fantastic shooting performance for the Utes
Not only did Utah establish Toure’s presence, they relentlessly attacked the rim in the opening quarter. Back cuts and good ball movement created a number of layups for the squad. That pressure on the hoop forced Cincinnati to pay greater attention to the paint, which opened up space for Utah on the perimter.
Gianna Kneepkens and Kennady McQueen both got going in this one. Kneepkens led the way with 25 points, while McQueen scored 17. The two combined to shoot 14-of-23 overall, and 11-of-19 from 3-point range.
More importantly, these two always seemed to be the ones to either knock down the shot or create one that answered a Cincinnati run. The Utes maintained a double-digit lead for the entire game, but the Bearcats trimmed it a few times. Then Kneepkens or McQueen would knock down a shot to help Utah regain momentum.
All in all, 16-of-32 from 3-point range, thanks in large part to great ball movement and relocation by shooters.
