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PHILADELPHIA – The Utah women's basketball team took down an undefeated Saint Joseph's Thursday evening with a 74-48 final score. Utah started the game out hot with a 6-0 run. The Utes held the Hawks scoreless for the first 3:30 minutes of play. After Saint Joseph's made a layup to get on the board, Utah went on an 11-0 run. Utah 's defense locked in as the Utes held Saint Joseph's to just two field goals in the first quarter. A made three pointer by Alissa Pili with just four seconds left in the initial quarter of play, gave Utah a 22-6 lead. The Hawks captured the momentum going into the final minutes of the half as SJU went on an 11-2 run over the Utes. The Hawks outscored the Utes 20-16 in the second quarter but Utah maintained a 38-26 lead going into the break. Utah battled in the third quarter and maintained for a 51-40 lead going into the final quarter of play. Pili took the game into her own hands in the fourth quarter getting the momentum back in favor of Utah. Pili took off for 14 points in six minutes of play, all 14 points for the Utes in the fourth quarter up to that point in the quarter. Utah finished the game outscoring Saint Joseph's 23-8 and handed the Hawks their first loss of the season with a 74-48 final score. LEADERS Utah had just two players score in double figures and were led by Alissa Pili who had a season-high 31 points. She went 12-17 from the field, 3-4 from beyond the arc and 4-7 from the line. She also had seven rebounds and three assists. Kennady McQueen had 11 points for the Utes including two made from three point range. Ines Vieria led Utah with assists as she dropped eight on the night. Jenna Johnson led the Utes on the boards with nine while Samantha Crispe added six, including four offensive. COMPARISON Utah ended the game shooting 49.1 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from beyond the arc, and 66.7 percent from the free throw line. Utah pulled 41 total rebounds and had 18 assists, seven steals and 15 turnovers. SJU shot 32.2 percent from the field, 26.7 percent from the three and 85.7 percent from the free throw line. The Hawks ended the game with 31 rebounds, 10 assists, two steals and 17 turnovers. Utah had 40 points in the paint, 21 points off turnovers and 16 points off the bench. SJU had 28 points in the paint, seven points off turnovers and five points off the bench. WHAT THE UTES SAID Lynne Roberts, Head Coach “I thought we had a great first half. They went on a 9-0 run to end the half and we gave them life. They played us pretty even in the third but we're learning. We don't have [Gianna] Kneepkens so we're trying to figure out where we'll get our plays from. I think it's going to take some time, we still need to figure out how to be aggressive on the perimeter and score and I've got to do a good job of putting them in a chance for success.“ NOTABLES The Utes are now 8-1 overall on the season. Pili's 31 points broke Saint Joseph's record for most opponent points scored by an individual. She was just three points shy of breaching a new career-high. She now has three games scoring 30 points or more in her career. UP NEXT Utah will play in the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. where the Utes will take on No. 1 South Carolina. Pac-12 action is set to start Dec. 30 at Colorado.
