On a day when the University of Utah made history by retiring the jersey number of a women's basketball player for the first time — All-American Kim Smith's No. 4 — the Utes made sure the celebration wasn't spoiled.
Morgan Warburton led all scorers with 16 points as Utah snapped a three-game skid with a 64-49 victory over Colorado State in the Huntsman Center.
"We had to win for her," Warburton said. "We're supposed to win."
The sophomore said she learned a lot playing with Smith last season and added that her former teammate deserves everything she gets.
The icing on the cake, perhaps, was having her alma mater regain its winning form. Saturday afternoon's victory upped Utah's record to 15-9 overall and 8-3 in conference play.
"When you lose three times in a row, it's not very fun," Warburton said. "This is a good start for us because we've got five more games we can win and we've got to."
Kalee Whipple had 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Utes. Marie Warner and Heidi Carlsen scored 12 and 10, respectively.
The Utes never trailed after breaking from a 20-20 tie late in the first half. A 6-0 run, featuring a basket by Hennasea Tokumura and free throws by Halie Sawyer and Brette Ulsaker, put them on top for good.
Utah built a 23-point lead in the second half to pull away handily.
"It feels good when you get a 'W,'" Utah coach Elaine Elliott said. "It was good competition. Colorado State plays hard, and they've got some good kids. So you need to play for 40 minutes."
The Rams (7-16, 2-9) were led by Sara Hunter's 15 points.
Smith's number retirement ceremony took place at halftime. The four-time Mountain West Conference Player of the Year, who now plays for the WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs, was joined at center court by her parents and athletic director Chris Hill.
After a video tribute, Smith was presented a framed jersey, and a banner was unfurled featuring her name and number alongside those honoring the Utes' seven other basketball honorees — Andrew Bogut (4), Billy McGill (12), Arnie Ferrin (22), Danny Vranes (23), Andre Miller (24), Vern Gardner (33) and Keith Van Horn (44).
Smith thanked her teammates, family, assistant coaches, Elliott, Utah's support staff, the band and fans for helping her along the way.
"I hope that one day this program will be able to become a national power, and I'll be able to come back and see the lower bowl full of fans and young girls to cheer the team on to a Final Four," Smith told the crowd. "And I feel I will be there."
Smith, who holds numerous school records including career scoring and rebounding, led the Utes to the NCAA tournament's Elite Eight last season.
"I'm so happy for her," Elliott said. "There's just nobody more deserving in all the years I've coached. So that's a lot of kids and a lot of years."
E-mail: dirk@desnews.com