It was a day for celebration in the Jon M. Huntsman Center as the University of Utah women’s basketball team wrapped up non-conference play with a 75-46 win over Weber State and head coach Lynne Roberts claimed her 300th career win. The Utes ended the non-conference season 7-4 overall.
Roberts, who is in her 18th season as a head coach and her fifth season at the helm in Salt Lake City, has amassed an overall record of 300-233, including going 79-58 during her time at Utah. Roberts came to Utah after nine seasons at the University of Pacific, where she was a two-time conference coach of the year, also spending four seasons at Chico State as the head coach.
“It is a great honor and it is humbling,” Roberts said. “I have been so blessed to be given opportunities as a head coach. Everywhere that I have been, I have been blessed to be given the opportunity. I have coached and coached with some awesome people. I am proud of the teams that I have coached and the people I have coached with.”
In her 300th career win, Roberts coached the Utes to its seventh win of the season where Utah finishing the game shooting 44-percent from the floor while holding Weber State to 25-percent shooting overall while forcing a season-high 29 turnovers. The Utes scored 42 of their 75 points off turnovers and were also dominant inside the arc, outscoring the Wildcats 44-10 inside the paint.
“I think we have a ways to go in terms of playing to our potential. You can see glimpses of it, and that is where the youth plays a variable in the consistency. I think the more consistent we can be as a team, I think we can compete with anybody. My sense is that we are a work in progress, but I love this group. They are committed and they care so much about the program, so I can hang with that.”
True freshman Lola Pendande and sophomore Niyah Becker were both tremendous for the Utes today, scoring 18 points each. Pendande was 8-of-11 from the floor with six rebounds, two assists and two blocks while Becker shot a career-high 8-of-13 from the floor that included knocking down two three-pointers.
Dru Gylten and Brynna Maxwell contributed eight points each against the Wildcats with Gylten adding a career-high nine rebounds while dishing out a team-high five assists. Maxwell was 2-of-6 from the three-point line, marking the 10th time this season that she has hit two-or-more from beyond the arc.
It was a slow start for both teams as they scored a combined eight points in the first four minutes of the game, but the momentum quickly swung in Utah’s direction as they started to control the quarter. The Utes ended the first quarter on a 10-0 run that included back-to-back threes from Becker while forcing nine turnovers by the Wildcats in the final five minutes of the period.
The Utes hit an offensive slump in the second quarter, only shooting 33-percent from the floor (6-of-18), allowing Weber State to creep back in within five points with 4:03 remaining in the period. Utah went on a 7-0 run late, capped off by Daneesha Provo’s first three of the season, to give the Utes a 12-point lead with 1:09 on the clock.
In the third quarter, Pendande scored 10 of her 18 points, shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor and 2-of-3 from the free throw line, adding four boards to her third quarter stat line. The Utes led by as many as 18 in the third quarter, finishing the period by holding Weber State to just 23-percent shooting from the floor with the Wildcats going just 1-of-6 from the arc.
The Utes went on a 14-3 run in the fourth quarter to take a 66-41 lead with 5:25 left to play in the game, sparked by six straight points from Pendande to give Utah its largest lead of the game. By the end of the quarter, all 11 of Utah’s players that saw action against the Wildcats had scored with the Utes closing out their non-conference slate with a 29-point victory.
Utah will return to action when they host the Colorado Buffaloes on Sunday, Dec. 29 at 2 p.m. MT to open Pac-12 play. The game will be televised on Pac-12 Networks with the game also being Utah’s WHITE OUT. Fans that wear white to the game will receive free admission.
https://utahutes.com/news/2019/12/20/womens-basketball-roberts-claims-300th-career-win-with-the-utes-75-46-win-over-weber-state.aspx
