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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah threw the first punch and never looked back.
For the team's first NCAA Tournament appearance in over a decade, there were no nerves or signs of being overwhelmed by the moment on the big stage. Instead, it was a team determined to smother a lower-seeded Arkansas team that played a similar style of basketball.
"Coach always says throw the first punch, so that's like always a goal," Utah freshman Gianna Kneepkens said.
Consider Utah coach Lynne Roberts' message heard.
Behind a high-tempo offense and a barrage of 3-pointers, Utah led wire to wire in the first-round matchup of the Spokane Region in Austin, Texas. Utah quickly jumped out on a 10-0 run and finished the game on an 18-2 run over a four-minute period to beat the tenth-seeded Arkansas 92-69.
"To win and to do so the way we did, I'm really proud of our team and proud of our program and excited that we get to stick around in Austin for a couple more days," Roberts said.
Kneepkens hit the first bucket of the game and Kennady McQueen followed it up after that with a 3-pointer of her own — and a smile emerged on her face. In that moment, they knew it was going to be a good night.
With a double-digit lead secured, Utah never backed down. Behind seven 3-pointers in the first half between five different players, Utah eventually built up a 20-point lead midway through the second quarter before ending the first half with a 17-point lead. Even with 11 first-half turnovers, Utah couldn't be stopped.
Arkansas didn't back down, though.
The Razorbacks opened up the third quarter on a 6-0 run and eventually got the lead down to 10 with 5:46 left in the quarter. But the threat was short lived and Utah remained in control of the game as the team built the lead back up to 16 as the quarter came to a close.
"We all know going into March that every team is a good team, so we kind of have to have a complete game," Kneepkens said of her team's ability to hold off Arkansas' push. "So we know where our focus has to be, and yeah, I think we showed that.
"I wasn't concerned," she added. "Obviously I knew we had to be better and we all knew that, but we know that Arkansas is a good team — they're here. So they're going to make a run, they're going to hit shots. They have great players on their team, so as long as we stay focused and stick to our principles, we would answer back, and we did."
It only got worse for the Razorbacks in the fourth quarter as Utah built up a 30-point lead before Roberts pulled the starters with just over two minutes left to play in the game. Arkansas closed out the game on a 7-0 run, but the damage was already done.
McQueen led Utah with 20 points, which include going 6 of 9 from behind the arc on a night where Utah finished with 15 3-pointers on 48% shooting from deep. McQueen added six rebounds and four assists in a well-rounded night for the sophomore guard.
She was joined in scoring by Kneepkens' 16 points and seven rebounds, and Jenna Johnson's 12 points. Kneepkens, the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and team's leading scorer this season, finished perfect from behind the 3-point line on 3-of-3 shooting.
Roberts said her team wasn't perfect — they finished the night with 19 turnovers — but was pleased with their ability to remain focused on the task in front of them. Whether it's been a regular-season game, a conference tournament game, or the program's first Pac-12 Tournament game, her team has remained even keeled and ready to attack.
"I mean, for it being everyone's first NCAA Tournament game, I'm pretty proud of that," Roberts said. "I thought we played true to form. We just shot the ball really well. But the way we moved it, 20 assists on 32 baskets, that's pretty stinkin' good. No one on our team is selfish. No one is trying to do too much within the system. They're taking their shots. It was good.
Utah advances to the next round of the tournament, where they will play No. 2 Texas on their home court on Sunday.
