CEDAR CITY, Utah - After opening the 2019 season with back-to-back wins, the Southern Utah women's basketball team will look to keep things rolling this week as they take on Grand Canyon University in Arizona on Thursday, November 14.
Last Time Out
The Thunderbirds picked up a season opening 79-63 win over CSU Fullerton last Thursday before going on the road and beating Utah Valley 71-58 on Saturday.
Rebecca Cardenas led the team with 35 points over the two wins, including 12 against CSU Fullerton and a new career-high of 23 against the Wolverines. Ashley Larsen also set a new career-high, this one in rebounding, with 13 against UVU. Freshman Madelyn Eaton put up 20 points in her first collegiate game and had 27 points over the weekend.
After one week, the Thunderbirds lead the Big Sky in rebounding margin, out-rebounding their opponents by an average of 13 rebounds. Cardenas is fourth in the conference in scoring, averaging 17.5 points per game and Larsen is fourth in the conference in rebounding, averaging 9.5 rebounds per game. Claudia Armato is second in the Big Sky in assists, averaging six per game.
Big Sky Player of the Week
The Big Sky Conference named Rebecca Cardenas the Big Sky Women's Basketball Player of the Week for her performance against CSU Fullerton and Utah Valley last week.
Cardenas scored a combined 35 points, including 12 against the Titans and a new career-high of 23 points against the Wolverines. The senior also shot .500 from the three-point line, pulled down nine rebounds, picked up seven assists, and four steals as the Thunderbirds started the season 2-0 for the first time since 2016.
In the road win over the Wolverines, Cardenas was essential in the T-Birds going up early as she led all scorers at the half with 19 points on four triples. Southern Utah led by 25 at the half and never looked back.
This was the first Big Sky Player of the Week award for Cardenas and the first for the team since the 2016-17 season when former Thunderbird Jessica Richardson earned the award.
Scouting Report: Grand Canyon Antelopes (1-1)
The Lopes picked up a season-opening win last Tuesday, beating Benedictine Mesa 72-53, before losing to North Dakota in overtime 76-78 on Friday.
Freshman Tavia Rowell leads the Lopes in scoring through two games, after putting up 13 points in her debut and 19 against UND. Senior Da'jah Daniel leads the team in rebounding, averaging nine per game.
The series between the Thunderbirds and the Lopes is tied at 3-3 all-time with the Lopes winning the last two matchups.
Game Info
Thursday's game is set to tip off at 6:00 p.m. Mountain time in Phoenix.
A live stream of the game will be available through the WAC Digital Network and live stats will be available at tbirdstats.com.
Follow Us
Stay up to date during the 2019-20 Lady T-Bird Basketball season by following @SUUWBasketball on Twitter and Instagram and liking the Southern Utah Women's Basketball page on Facebook.
Tickets
Tickets for the Lady T-Birds' next home game against UNLV 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 2019-20 regular season home games.
