Utah
Utes blast past McNeese behind an efficient shooting night
Utah responded well to a disappointing loss at Northwestern last week, easily dispatching McNeese 118-50 at the Huntsman Center on Monday night.
The Utes (3-1) looked sharp on offense most of the night, hitting 13 3-pointers while shooting 60.3% from the field in overpowering the visiting Cowgirls.
“That was a good kind of get-right game in terms of our shooting and scoring,” Utah coach Lynne Roberts said. “You know, everybody contributed, everybody did their job, which was the goal, but we just played with a lot more swagger.”
3 takeaways
An early run helped kickstart the offense. Utah led 7-6 four minutes into the game — with six of those points coming off a pair of 3-pointers from Gianna Kneepkens — but the Utes created some separation by ending the first quarter on a 17-3 run, with contributions from numerous players.
Utah went on several extended runs throughout the game against an overmatched Cowgirls team. In the second quarter after the teams traded 3-pointers to start, Utah rattled off a 16-2 run to push the lead to 29 just four minutes into the frame.
In the second half, after McNeese initially outscored the Utes over the first few minutes, Utah went on a 20-4 run over four minutes, and through three quarters, Utah nearly had 100 points (the Utes went into the fourth quarter leading 99-48).
Utah then capped the contest by outscoring McNeese 19-2 in the final period.
The Utes ended the night shooting 60.3% from the field, with a quarter-best 75% in the second quarter when they scored 38 points to go into the half with a 62-27 lead.
That efficiency extended over to 3-point range, where Utah made 13 of 22, and the free-throw line, as the Utes went 23 of 29 from the charity stripe. Utah had assists on 27 of its 41 made field goals.
McNeese, meanwhile, shot just 25.8% for the game.
Kneepkens ended up with a team-high 24 points, breaking the 20-point barrier for the first time this season, showing the kind of competitiveness she’s been known for in her accomplished career at Utah.
The junior guard also had two assists and two steals.
“The goal was 25 assists. We had 27 on 41 made baskets. That’s awesome. Everybody did a good job,” Roberts said. “No game is perfect. As a coach, that’s kind of my job to nitpick, but I’m not going to do it tonight.
“I thought we played as hard as we could … and we shot much, much, much better than we did the other night in a game we will not mention, but proud of our team.”
It was a good night in the post. The Utes dominated inside against McNeese, finishing with a 54-12 edge in points in the paint.
Utah also outrebounded the Cowgirls 47-30. While both teams had eight offensive rebounds, the Utes owned a 15-7 edge in second-chance points.
Maye Toure, the transfer from Rhode Island, was nearly unstoppable, as she made 9 of 13 shots for 21 points — her second 20-point game of the season — while adding eight rebounds and two blocked shots.
Reese Ross also continued her strong start to the year, as she looks increasingly comfortable in her sophomore season. By night’s end, she had 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and a blocked shot.
“I think the most important thing we tried to focus on this week was to just play simple and do our jobs and not doubt, just play with confidence, because we work hard and just play like it,” Toure said.
Maty Wilke bounced back well from a tough outing. In Utah’s two-point loss at Northwestern, junior guard Maty Wilke was 0 of 7 from 3-point range and had a tough night offensively, as she finished with 6 points. She had a shot to give Utah a lead in the final minute, but her final 3-point attempt was off the mark.
Wilke, like many of her teammates Monday, came out with a dogged determination against McNeese. She quickly made a pair of 3-pointers near the end of the first quarter, then found teammates for assists to help spark an early second-quarter run.
“I thought Maty came in really fearless,” Roberts said.
All totaled, Wilke had a career high 19 points, plus six assists and two steals in 19 minutes in her best game of the young season.
She made four 3-pointers.
Wilke said following last week’s loss, the focus for the Utes has been “to do our jobs” — and for her, that means bringing energy and shooting touch off the bench.
“I’ve worked a lot in a couple days we had … of just getting my mindset right to bring energy and then hitting open shots,” she said. “So basically, (the focus was) just doing our job and then trusting my teammates that they’re going to do theirs as well.”
What’s next
Utah will stay at home for a couple more games before heading to Grand Cayman Islands for a Thanksgiving week tournament.
The Utes host Saint Joseph’s on Friday at 7 p.m. in the back end of a doubleheader with the Utah men’s basketball team. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with the radio broadcast on 700 AM.
Utah
Utah man dies of injuries sustained in avalanche in Big Cottonwood Canyon
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — A man died after he was caught in an avalanche in Big Cottonwood Canyon over the weekend.
A spokesperson for the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on Thursday that Kevin Williams, 57, had died.
He, along with one other person, was hospitalized in critical condition after Saturday’s avalanche in the backcountry.
MORE | Big Cottonwood Canyon Avalanche
In an interview with 2News earlier this week, one of Williams’ close friends, Nate Burbidge, described him as a loving family man.
“Kevin’s an amazing guy. He’s always serving, looking for ways that he can connect with others,” Burbidge said.
A GoFundMe was set up to help support Williams’ family.
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Utah
911 recordings detail hours leading up to discovery of Utah girl, mother dead in Las Vegas
CONTENT WARNING: This report discusses suicide and includes descriptions of audio from 911 calls that some viewers may find disturbing.
LAS VEGAS — Exclusively obtained 911 recordings detail the hours leading up to the discovery of an 11-year-old Utah girl and her mother dead inside a Las Vegas hotel room in an apparent murder-suicide.
Addi Smith and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, lived in West Jordan and had traveled to Nevada for the JAMZ cheerleading competition.
The calls show a growing sense of urgency from family members and coaches, and several hours passing before relatives learned what happened.
MORE | Murder-Suicide
Below is a timeline of the key moments, according to dispatch records. All times are Pacific Time.
10:33 a.m. — Call 1
After Addi and her mother failed to appear at the cheerleading competition, Addi’s father and stepmother called dispatch for a welfare check.
Addi and her mother were staying at the Rio hotel. The father told dispatch that hotel security had already attempted contact.
“Security went up and knocked on the door. There’s no answer or response it doesn’t look like they checked out or anything…”
11:18 a.m. and 11:27 a.m. — Calls 2 and 3
As concern grew, Addi’s coach contacted the police two times within minutes.
“We think the child possibly is in imminent danger…”
11:26 a.m. — Call 4
Addi’s stepmother placed another call to dispatch, expressing escalating concern.
“We are extremely concerned we believe that something might have seriously happened.”
She said that Tawnia’s car was still at the hotel.
Police indicated officers were on the way.
2:26 p.m. — Call 5
Nearly three hours after the initial welfare check request, fire personnel were en route to the scene. It appeared they had been in contact with hotel security.
Fire told police that they were responding to a possible suicide.
“They found a note on the door.”
2:35 p.m. — Call 6
Emergency medical personnel at the scene told police they had located two victims.
“It’s going to be gunshot wound to the head for both patients with notes”
A dispatcher responded:
“Oh my goodness that’s not okay.”
2:36 p.m. — Call 7
Moments later, fire personnel relayed their assessment to law enforcement:
“It’s going to be a murder suicide, a juvenile and a mother.”
2:39 p.m. — Call 8
Unaware of what had been discovered, Addi’s father called dispatch again.
“I’m trying to file a missing persons report for my daughter.”
He repeats the details he knows for the second time.
3:13 p.m. — Call 9
Father and stepmother call again seeking information and continue to press for answers.
“We just need some information. There was a room check done around 3:00 we really don’t know where to start with all of this Can we have them call us back immediately?”
Dispatch responded:
“As soon as there’s a free officer, we’ll have them reach out to you.”
4:05 p.m. — Call 10
More than an hour later, Addi’s father was put in contact with the police on the scene. He pleaded for immediate action.
“I need someone there I need someone there looking in that room”
The officer confirmed that they had officers currently in the room.
Addi’s father asks again what they found, if Addi and her mother are there, and if their things were missing.
The officer, who was not on scene, said he had received limited information.
5:23 p.m. — Call 11
Nearly seven hours after the first welfare check request, Addi’s grandmother contacted police, describing conflicting information circulating within the family.
“Some people are telling us that they were able to get in, and they were not in the hotel room, and other people saying they were not able to get in the hotel room, and we need to know”
She repeated the details of the case. Dispatch said officers will call her back once they have more information.
Around 8:00 p.m. — Press Conference
Later that evening, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police held a news conference confirming that Addi and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, were found dead inside the hotel room.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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Utah
Ban on AI glasses in Utah classrooms inches closer to passing
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — AI glasses could allow you to get answers, snap photos, access audio and take phone calls—and now a proposal moving through the legislature would ban the glasses from Utah school classrooms.
“I think it’s a great idea,” said Kizzy Guyton Murphy, a mother who accompanied her child’s class on a field trip to the state Capitol on Wednesday. “You can’t see inside what the student is looking at, and it’s just grounds for cheating.”
Mom Tristan Davies Seamons also sees trouble with AI glasses.
“I don’t think they should have any more technology in schools than they currently have,” she said.
Her twin daughters, fourth graders Finley and Grayson, don’t have cell phones yet.
“Not until we’re like 14,” said Grayson, adding they do have Chromebooks in school.
2News sent questions to the Utah State Board of Education:
- Does it have reports of students using AI glasses?
- Does it see cheating and privacy as major concerns?
- Does it support a ban from classrooms?
Matt Winters, USBE AI specialist, said the board has not received reports from school districts of students with AI glasses.
“Local Education Agencies (school districts) have local control over these decisions based on current law and code,” said Winters. “The Board has not taken a position on AI glasses.
MORE | Utah State Legislature:
Some districts across the country have reportedly put restrictions on the glasses in schools.
“I think it should be up to the teachers,” said Briauna Later, another mother who is all for preventing cheating, but senses a ban could leave administrators with tired eyes.
“It’s one more thing for the administration to have to keep track of,” said Later.
The proposal, HB 42, passed the House and cleared a Senate committee on Wednesday.
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