Utah's women hoopsters improved to 2-1 with an 84-55 rout of Western Kentucky in the Fresno State Classic on Friday.
The Utes shot 54 percent from the field, including 57 percent from 3-point range. Utah also edged the Lady Toppers in rebounding 35-34 and forced 19 Western Kentucky turnovers.
"We had better distribution of the ball and were more patient, so different players got shots tonight," coach Elaine Elliott said. "We were more effective offensively than we had been in our first two games this season."
Sophomore all-America candidate Kim Smith and sophomore Julie Wood led Utah with 19 points apiece. Smith, who played just 26 minutes after getting into foul trouble early, connected on 57 percent of her shots (8-of-14), while Wood made 6-of-8 (75 percent), all from 3-point range. Senior Carley Marshall added 14 points and sophomore Shona Thorburn chipped in nine. Smith led the Utes with seven rebounds.
The Utes will meet host Fresno State (1-1) in the championship of the classic at 8 p.m. (MST) Saturday. The game will be broadcast live on KALL 700 AM in Salt Lake City and will also be available online at www.utahutes.com.