How Utah knocked off No. 3 Notre Dame

Gavin Petersen got a win over a ranked opponent just four games into his tenure as the Utah women’s basketball coach — and it was a big one.
The Utes overcame a slow start before pulling ahead in the third quarter and holding off No. 3 Notre Dame for a 78-67 win at the Cayman Islands Classic on Saturday.
“I am extremely proud of our team. They showed resilience tonight. They were dialed in today and executed,” said Petersen, who took over for Lynne Roberts as Utah’s coach less than two weeks ago. “They are starting to buy into our circle. What I mean by that is that we are starting to pick people up when they’re having down days and celebrating every small victory.”
How did Utah (6-2) earn the signature victory?
Utah’s guard line had an elite afternoon. From Gianna Kneepkens to Kennady McQueen to Maty Wilke, the Utes got big shots from their guards.
Kneepkens led the Utes with 16 points, three rebounds and two assists, while McQueen added 15 points (three 3-pointers made) to go along with two rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.
Wilke came off the bench to put up 14 points — she also made three 3-pointers — and she added four assists and two steals.
Point guard Ines Vieira, who was named to the all-tournament team, led Utah with five assists while adding 5 points, three rebounds and a steal — with no turnovers.
Jenna Johnson was the lone post player in double figures, as she scored 14 points and had eight rebounds.
“Inês is our engine. Since day one she has continued to improve. She has contagious energy and her personality is our heartbeat,” Petersen said. “We have our anchor in Jenna Johnson who just continued to show up consistently for team in tough moments. We have the super stars in Kennady McQueen and Matyson Wilke who splash when we need them to.
“Reese Ross is really starting to find her stride and excel in her role and Mayé (Touré) keeps striving to be better and constantly pushing on ways to best contribute to our team. We are really starting to gel together as one unit.”
Three big runs for the Utes sparked an upset. Notre Dame led 13-4 four minutes into the game, but over the next four minutes, Utah outscored the Fighting Irish 15-3 to move ahead 19-16.
The Utes led 19-18 after one quarter.
Kneepkens hit a pair of 3-pointers in that stretch, while Wilke scored five, and that helped Utah, two days after it nearly came back from a 24-point deficit to beat Mississippi State, build some momentum and confidence.
The Utes then took control in the third quarter.
While Notre Dame pushed ahead to a 37-32 halftime lead, Utah scored the first 11 points of the second half, getting contributions from McQueen, Kneepkens, Johnson and Maye Toure.
The Irish pulled within three at one point later in the quarter, but the Utes maintained the lead and went into the fourth quarter up 53-48.
Then Utah stormed ahead again to start the fourth quarter. This time, the Utes outscored Notre Dame 9-4 to start the final period and built their first double-digit lead at 62-52 with six minutes to play.
From there, the Utes weathered any and all comeback efforts from the Fighting Irish.
“At halftime, they told me they were having fun and I responded, ‘Absolutely, it sure looks like it.’ That’s the energy we have to continue to build upon,” Petersen said.
What other stats stood out? Utah had an advantage in the turnover department.
Though the Utes had just three fewer turnovers than Notre Dame at 22 to 19, Utah finished with a 25-16 advantage in points off turnovers.
Utah, known for its ability to share the ball, also had 17 assists on 28 made baskets, compared to 12 assists on 25 buckets for the Fighting Irish.
The Utes made 9 of 24 3-pointers — many at key moments — while Notre Dame went 5 of 14 from beyond the arc.
Utah will host a mid-week game against Utah State at the Delta Center next Wednesday at 7 p.m. MST. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and can be heard on 700 AM.