Utah Women’s Basketball Opens Season With 88-62 Win Over Sioux Falls
Nov 3, 2025, 1:37 PM
Utah women's basketball opens with win over Sioux Falls
SALT LAKE CITY— In the season-opener, Gavin Peterson’s Utah squad provided plenty of entertainment for the crowd in a Monday matinee matchup in the annual Future Scholars Kids Game.
The Utes welcomed the Sioux Falls Cougars to the Jon M. Huntsman Center for the first official contest of the season. It did not take long for Utah to grab control of the game, and they cruised to an 88-62 victory.
“First and foremost, I want to thank Sioux Falls for taking game on really short notice,” Gavin Peterson opened.
Keep in mind, this game wasn’t on the schedule until mid-September, as Utah was originally set to open up against San Diego State. Utah was able to get a good first test against a competitive D2 program.
Utah was led by freshmen forwards Evalina Otto with 15 points and 9 rebounds, and Avery Hjelmstad added 14 points and 4 rebounds. Collectively, Utah finished 28-of-64 from the field, 10-of-32 from behind the arc, and 22-of-26 from the charity stripe.
“What you got tonight, it’s got to be each and every night,” Peterson said of the offensive balance. “Our young players are very talented and very capable of going off for big games. I’m excited their careers here at the University of Utah are just getting, but I’m really excited to see where they go.”
UTES WIN#goutes pic.twitter.com/0i7v0dQ5hW
— Utah Women’s Basketball (@UTAHWBB) November 3, 2025
The Utes finished the first frame with seven different scorers, paced by senior guard Maty Wilke collecting 5 points and forward Reese Ross adding 4. Utah closed out Q1 by doubling up the Cougars 22-11 and clearly gained a foothold.
Ross 🤝 Otto @ReeseRoss9
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📺 https://t.co/RgxRxDlShY #GoUtes pic.twitter.com/AsrRZqXBnY— Utah Women’s Basketball (@UTAHWBB) November 3, 2025
In the second quarter, the momentum built steadily as Utah’s offense came alive through a balanced attack that relied heavily on shots around the rim and crisp ball movement.
By halftime the Utes had stretched the lead out to 42-25, and impressively, ten players had already scored at least 3 points — a sign of depth and offensive balance.
🤷♀️ Make, and one!@MatyWilke
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📺 https://t.co/RgxRxDlShY#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/cv8BAoVtNC— Utah Women’s Basketball (@UTAHWBB) November 3, 2025
Freshman forward, Evelina Otto led the Utes with 7 first-half points, thanks to 3-of-5 shooting around the rim. Wilke’s shots didn’t fall in the 2Q but she turned to playmaking and ended the half with 4 assists to go along with her 5 points.
To start the second half, Ross got it going with 4 early points before Utah’s shooting started to connect from deep. Wilke converted a 4-point play after knocking down a 3-pointer, then Kamryn Mafua knocked down one from the top. Utah went 6-of-13 from the field in the third quarter and pushed the 63-37.
In the final quarter, Otto continued to produce, while Lani White added a 3 points, and Avery Hjelmstad knocked down two 3-pointers from the left wing. Utah continued to push the lead and finished the game with an 88-62 victory.
We 👀 you freshie! @AveryHjelmstad
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📺 https://t.co/RgxRxDlShY#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/FWvwZnyqwQ— Utah Women’s Basketball (@UTAHWBB) November 3, 2025
The message was loud and clear: when the starters got things rolling and the supporting cast followed, Utah’s offense didn’t just function—it flourished. Eleven different Utes found the scoreboard, nine of which scored at least 5, underscoring the depth and balance of this roster.
Utah didn’t shoot lights out but found good shots around the rim and knocked down open looks from deep. Now, with the season officially underway, the early cohesion and distribution displayed in this opener stand as a strong foundation.
This is just the start, but Peterson has a rather intriguing roster with capable scorers inside and out. Utah will need playmakers to emerge for those crunch-time moments but there is some potential here.
