Utes Open MWC Campaign with 70-52 Win over Wyoming

Whipple sets a new career-high for the second time in three games.

Jan. 7, 2009

LARAMIE, Wyo. - Kalee Whipple set a new career-high with 32 points to lead Utah to a 70-52 victory over Wyoming in the Mountain West Conference opener for both teams on Wednesday evening.

The reigning MWC Player of the Week, Whipple broke her career-high for the second time in three games. She had a then career-high 31 points against Southern California on Dec. 30. She also pulled down 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the year.

Morgan Warburton added 21 points. Halie Sawyer pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds with eight points and two blocks. Katie King was also in double-figure rebounds with 10.

Wyoming (8-6, 0-1 MWC) kept it close through most of the first half. Up 15-13 with seven minutes remaining in the first half, Utah (8-6, 1-0 MWC) went on a 9-0 run through the next three minutes (with five of those points coming from Whipple) to take a 24-13 lead at the four-minute mark. The run proved to be the difference as Utah ended the half with a 31-18 lead. Whipple led Utah with 13 points in the half, while Warburton (who sat out several minutes after picking up two early fouls) had 10 points. Wyoming was held to 22-percent shooting from the field in the half (7-of-31) and Utah outrebounded the Cowgirls, 31-17, led by eight boards from Sawyer.

A similar 9-0 scoring run midway through the second half also helped Utah gain momentum through the remainder of the game. Up 44-32 at the 12:45 mark, Whipple had five points of the run as Utah took a 53-32 lead with 10 minutes left. Utah shot 60-percent (15-of-25) from the field in the second half.

Utah had a season-low 12 turnovers on the night.

Wyoming was led by Kristen Scheffler's 11 points.

Utah returns home on Sunday, January 11, against San Diego State at 2:00 p.m. The game will be televised on The Mtn.