CEDAR CITY, Utah - With less than two weeks to go until the start of Big Sky Conference play, the Southern Utah women's basketball team will play their final non-conference game on Wednesday December 21 at Boise State University.
Last Time Out
The Lady T-Birds picked up their third win of the season on December 4 when they were able to come back from a 13-point deficit to beat the Utah Valley Wolverines 60-59. With UVU up by nine in the fourth quarter Rebecca Cardenas hit back-to-back-to-back threes to put the Thunderbirds on a 9-2 run and cut the lead to two. Harley Hansen hit the game-winning three with 2:28 left in the game.
Hansen and Cardenas were the two top scorers in the game. Hansen finished with a career-high 21 points on eight field goals, including four three-pointers. She also added four rebounds, two steals, and a block. Cardenas had 16 points and was 5-for-11 from beyond the arc, with four of them coming in the second half. She also picked up eight rebounds, five assists, three blocks, and two steals.
The Thunderbirds also dropped a 71-70 contest to the Denver Pioneers, despite another fourth-quarter comeback. The Pioneers led by 14 with 2:43 remaining in the game. That was when SUU went on an 18-5 run, with all 18 points scored by either Cardenas or Kiana Thomas. Cardenas scored 13 of the 18 points and gave the Thunderbirds a one-point lead with :28 on the clock. However, the Pioneers were able to draw a late foul and convert both free throws to take back the lead and eventually the win.
Cardenas was the leading scorer for the T-Birds, putting up 16 points for the second consecutive game. Thirteen of her 16 points came in the fourth quarter, including all three of her three-point shots. The junior also pulled in seven rebounds, dished out five assists, and had four steals.
Scouting Report: Boise State Broncos (8-2)
The Broncos are coming off of a tournament victory at the Husky Classic last weekend, defeating Saint Francis and the host Washington Huskies to claim the championship. The reigning Mountain West champions are currently on a three game winning streak and sit at 8-2 with their only losses coming to then-ranked #5/4 Louisville and Washington State.
Junior Riley Lupfer is the leading scorer for the Broncos, averaging 12.8 points per game. Lupfer was named the 2018-19 Preseason Mountain West Player of the Year following a sophomore campaign in which she was named to the All-Mountain West team and the MVP of the Mountain West tournament.
The Thunderbirds and the Broncos last met during the 2014-15 season when the Thunderbirds came out on top in a 66-64 season opening victory in Cedar City.
Game Info
Wednesday's game is set to tip off at 5:30 p.m. Mountain time in Boise. The game will be live streamed on the Mountain West Network and live stats will be available at tbirdstats.com.
Tickets
Tickets for the Lady T-Birds' next home game on January 3 against Idaho State are available at tbirdtickets.com or the America First Event Center Ticket Office. Fans can also purchase a Women's Sports Pass for access to all 2018-19 home games.
Follow Us
Stay up to date during the 2018-19 Lady T-Bird Basketball season by following @SUUWBasketball on Twitter and Instagram and liking the Southern Utah Women's Basketball page on Facebook.
