SALT LAKE CITY — Alissa Pili tallied 33 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to power second-seeded Utah past 15th-seeded Gardner-Webb 103-77 Friday night in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament.
Jenna Johnson added 20 points and five assists for the Utes (26-4). Pili and Johnson combined to make 22 of 31 shots as the Bulldogs struggled to keep the duo from relentlessly attacking the basket.
The Utes advanced to play the NC State-Princeton winner in the Greenville 2 Region.
Gardner-Webb (29-5) had a 21-game winning streak snapped and fell to 0-3 against Power 5 opponents this season. Jhessyka Williams scored 20 points for the Bulldogs.
Utah used a 14-0 run to carve out a 32-14 lead early in the second quarter. The Utes forced four turnovers over the final 3½ minutes of the first quarter to spark their game-breaking and held Gardner-Webb without a point for 4½ minutes.
The Bulldogs cut Utah’s lead to 58-50 in the third quarter on a 3-pointer by Ki’ari Cain. That’s the only time the margin fell under double digits in the second half. Pili countered with a layup to spark a string of three straight baskets that pushed the Utes’ lead to 65-50.
Gianna Kneepkens chipped in 17 points and nine rebounds for Utah. The Utes shot 59% from the floor and had 32 assists on 37 baskets.
Alaisia Smith added 14 points and eight rebounds for the Bulldogs before fouling out in the final minute of the third quarter. Cain had 14 points and six assists.
Early foul trouble curbed the Bulldogs’ ability to play aggressive defense and put them in a deep hole before the end of the first quarter. Gardner-Webb racked up eight team fouls within the first six minutes of the game.
Williams brought her career scoring total to 2,049 points, moving her past Dina Smith for second place in program history. She came into the NCAA Tournament averaging a team-high 19.8 points per game.
