Box Score SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - The SUU women's basketball team traveled to Salt Lake City Wednesday night for the first game of a two-game road trip. The game was dominated by the Utes as they handed the Thunderbirds their first road loss of the season, 69-43.
“They guarded our inside players really well and took the penetration away and challenged us to hit shots. We had a lot of good looks that just rattled in and out. With their size we weren't able to attack the offensive boards like we have been able to in the past and our second and third chance opportunities were limited,” head coach Chris Boettcher said after the loss.
The Thunderbirds came into the Huntsman Center ready to play, trading buckets with the Utes for almost the entirety of the first quarter. Even though they were never able to take a lead, contributions from four different Thunderbirds in the first quarter kept them close until the Utes were able to string three unanswered layups together to end the quarter. The first quarter ended with the Thunderbirds trailing 17-8.
The T-Birds were able to cut the Utes' lead down to six just one minute and 15 seconds into the second quarter. Sophomore Tiarra McDonald drained a three-point shot to make it 19-13 Utes, but that would be the last time the Thunderbirds would score in the half. The Utes were able to score 18 unanswered points and quadruple their lead by the time the opening half came to an end. The Thunderbirds lost their eye for the basket and were 0-16 from the field for the rest of the half. As both teams headed to the locker room, the Utes had a commanding 37-13 lead with 20 minutes of basketball left to play.
The field goal drought for the Thunderbirds would bleed into the third quarter as two free throws by McDonald would be the only points for the T-Birds until junior Whitney Johnson was able to sink a jump shot almost three minutes into the closing half. The third quarter would end up being the best one of the night for the Thunderbirds as they began to close the gap by putting up 17 points, more than the first and second quarters combined.
The fourth was another good quarter for the Lady T-Birds as they were able to hold the Utes to their lowest quarter point total while putting up 13 more points of their own. However, it would prove to be too little too late as the Utes would take a 69-43 win at home. Sophomore Darri Frandsen led the Thunderbirds in scoring once again as she had nine points and nine rebounds on the night. Senior Jessica Richardson led the T-Birds with 11 total rebounds.
The next game for the Lady T-Birds will be Friday December 2nd in Laramie, Wyoming against the Wyoming Cowgirls.
To stay up to date during the games and throughout the 2016-17 season follow @SUUWBasketball on Twitter and Instagram and like the SUU Women's Basketball page on Facebook.
