MOSCOW, Idaho -  Idaho women's basketball travels to Salt Lake City to open the season against the Utah Utes at 4:30 p.m. pacific time at the Jon M. Hunstman Center. The game is the season opener for both teams. Video of the game will be broadcast on pac-12.com while a radio broadcast can be heard on AM 849 KMAX or on IdahoVandals.com. 

ABOUT IDAHO:  The Vandals were picked to finish third by the Big Sky Coaches and Beyonce Bea was named to the Big Sky Preseason team. Idaho returns three starters off of last year's team; Bea, Sydney Gandy and Tiana Johnson, who is taking advantage of her covid year to play a fifth season of basketball. The trio represents three of the Vandals top four scorers from last season, with Louise Forsyth being the lone graduate from the group. The Vandals welcome in six newcomers, including a pair of transfers in Jenna Kilty (Portland State) and Brooke Malone (Idaho State). 

ABOUT UTAH: Utah was picked fifth in the Pac-12 preseason poll and received a first-place vote in the polls. Two Utes, Gianna Kneepkens and Jenna Johnson, preseason All-Pac-12 and Kennady McQueen received honorable mention honors. Utah is coming off of a 21-12 season that saw the Utes rally from the sixth-seed all the way to the Pac-12 Championship game. They advanced to the NCAA second round before falling to Texas 78-56.  Lynne Roberts has a 112-99 record as the head coach of the Utes. 

SERIES HISTORY: This is the 10th meeting for the two teams, but the first since 2004. Utah carries a 7-2 series advantage with the last Idaho win coming in 1985, the year Idaho went on to win the Women's NIT. 

BEA AWARE: In three seasons at Idaho, Beyonce Bea has established herself as one of the best players in Vandal history. She moved into the top-10 in career blocked shots and is just 226 points from moving into the Vandal all-time top-10 and 114 rebounds from cracking the top 10.  She has 15-career double doubles with nine of those coming after Jan. 15 last season. She earned third-team All-Big Sky honors as a freshman and back-to-back First Team honors after the last two seasons. She also established a pipeline for her family. Her sister, Skylar, joined the team in 2021-22 and their cousin Jaiden is a freshman on the team this season. 

NEWLEE: Head coach Jon Newlee returns to the bench for his 15th season as a Vandal. He is the winningest coach in Idaho history with 244 victories. He was named the 2018-19 Big Sky Coach of the Year.

SEASON OPENERS: Idaho is 28-20 all-time in season openers. The Vandals played Utah in the 1985-86 season opener in Moscow and won 69-67.