No. 11 Utah and Kneepkens Fend Off Washington 61-53

Gianna Kneepkens led No. 11 Utah with 18 points as the Utes ground out a 61-53 win over Washington on Sunday, marking their lowest-scoring performance of the season despite remaining undefeated.

Alissa Pili added 17 points and eight rebounds for Utah (14-0, 3-0 Pac-12), which typically averages 90.8 points per game, ranking them second in the nation.

Washington (9-4, 1-2) saw strong performances from Lauren Schwartz, who scored 17 points, and Dalayah Daniels, who notched a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. This game was Washington’s first matchup against a ranked team this season.

A crucial 3-pointer by Pili put Utah ahead 54-47 with 2:38 left, but the Utes didn’t score another field goal and turned the ball over three times in the final 1:45. Missed free throws further kept the Huskies in contention. The tightly contested game had 11 ties and 13 lead changes, with the final margin being the largest lead for either team.

Kneepkens, who scored Utah’s first nine points of the fourth quarter, hit a key 3-pointer to give Utah a 46-44 lead with 5:34 remaining. Isabel Palmer followed with a 3-pointer, her only basket of the game, and a layup from Jenna Johnson at 3:58 capped a 7-0 run, giving the Utes a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Pili struggled with her shooting, making only 6 of 15 attempts, her lowest shooting performance of the season. The whole team shot poorly, hitting just 35.7% (20 of 56) of their shots, the lowest percentage for Utah this season.

Utah was coming off a narrow 71-66 win at Washington State, previously their lowest-scoring game of the season where they also struggled to shoot 50%. Up next, Utah will face Colorado on Friday, while Washington will play against Washington State on Sunday.