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SALT LAKE CITY — Mississippi Valley State didn't care that its opponent was the fifth-ranked team in the country. If anything, it emboldened the Delta Devils even more.
The SWAC team entered the Huntsman Center Monday night in the season opener and made the Utah women work in the first quarter, and even took a 2-point lead after the first break in action. The Delta Devils shot 69% from the floor in the first quarter and forced the Utes into early turnovers and mistakes in an uncharacteristic night for Lynne Roberts' squad.
But for as difficult as the Delta Devils made it on the Utes, Roberts made some adjustments and her team responded to the tune of a 24-0 run in the second quarter before dictating the terms of the game for the remaining 30 minutes of action en route to a 104-45 victory.
"They came out fearless and ready to play, and they weren't intimidated or anything like that, and that's what happens," Roberts said. "That's a good lesson for us. We've got a target on our back and it doesn't matter who we're playing, or what the spread is, or who's supposed to win, or who's at home or away, we've got to bring intensity for 40 minutes, and I thought we brought it for 30 today."
Roberts has high expectation for her team this season as it pursues a deep run in March. But none of that is possible if the team isn't ready on a game-by-game basis.
"In between the first and second quarters, I just challenged our intensity and just our focus," Roberts said. "Then, at halftime, we made a couple adjustments that what we were getting beat we just made a couple easy adjustments and players did good job of figuring that out."
It was a good early test for the Utes, even if the final score was anything but reflective of how difficult the first part of the game was for the home team.
The one constant was reigning Pac-12 Player of the Year Alissa Pili going to work in the post and dominating the game. For all the frustrations Utah had in the first quarter, Pili racked up 12 points in the quarter en route to a 26-point first half effort to set the tone.
Pili was perfect from the floor, finishing 7-of-7 from the field and 2-of-2 from 3-point range, while going 10-of-12 from the free-throw line in only 16 minutes of action. Pili was forced to leave the game early to go to the ER after she was scratched in the eye, according to Roberts. Her status for Utah's Thursday game remains unknown.
But Pili wasn't alone in the work as veteran guard Gianna Kneepkens added 18 points on 5-of-9 shooting, while adding to her well-rounded game with eight rebounds and eight assists in the win. Utah finished with 30 assists on 35 made field goals.
Sophomore Lani White added 15 points, including two 3-pointers, while Isabel Palmer and Jenna Johnson each added 10 points apiece. Johnson also left the game early after getting a split lip, which forced her to get stitches, according to Roberts. Kennady McQueen also left early after what Roberts described as a "bone bruise," though they'll learn more Tuesday.
What impressed Roberts most, though, was that her team was able to score 104 points when no player shot double-digit attempts. Kneepkens finished with nine field goal attempts for a team high.
In the win, Roberts played around with some lineups and utilized a full second unit in replacement of her starting unit to give her players more experience as the team builds upon each game, with hopes to have a strong bench going into March.
"I want to play a deep bench," Roberts said. "I think that pays dividends in March. Everybody needs to get some rhythm and some chemistry playing together, so I'm gonna continue doing that as long as I can."
Utah returns to action at home Thursday (7 p.m. MST) as it welcomes South Carolina State to the Huntsman Center.
