The Vandals and Utes played each other for the first time since 2004, and just like last time, the Utes won.
Senior guard/forward Beyonce Bea scored 25 of Idaho’s 63 total points and snatched 10 rebounds, but that wasn’t enough. Despite Bea’s sixteenth career double-double, Utah won the season opener 88-63.
The Vandals started strong, ending the first quarter tied at 29-29. Bea went 2/2 from the three-point line, and scored 18 total points, starting the double-double journey early.
As the second quarter started, the Vandals fell behind. Utah started with a 9-0 run and ended the second quarter with a score of 18-9.
However, Bea closed the half with five straight points, grabbing four rebounds and dishing 11 assists, hoping to lead the way for the Vandals in the next quarter.
In the third quarter, Utah didn’t give up, and the Vandals slowly slipped away. Junior forward Alissa Pili from Utah scored 27, which helped the Utes lead 68-53 by the end of the quarter.
In the final quarter, the Vandals continued fighting hard, adding 10 points. However, Utah scored 20.
Returning graduate student guard/forward Tiana Johnson assisted the team by scoring 12 points while freshman forward Sarah Brans scored 11.
With Bea’s double-double, and Johnson scoring four out of five shots from the three-point line, the Vandals were able to make 39.3% of the three-point shots. Utah went 17.4% from deep.
However, the Utes made a turn with their free throws as they were able to secure 79.6% of their shots. The Vandals were only able to secure 50% of the shots from the free throw line.
The Vandals will now prepare to head to Berkely, California, on Nov. 16 to take on the University of California.
Moeka Shimizu can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @moekashimizu_