CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah women's basketball team will open Big Sky Conference play on Monday December 30 when they host the Portland State Vikings inside the America First Event Center.

Last Time Out

The Thunderbirds wrapped up non-conference on December 19 with a 79-68 victory over UC Riverside behind a big performance from freshman Shalyn Fano. The win gave them a 5-0 undefeated start at home, a feat that no other team in SUU history has ever accomplished. 

"I'm excited about where we are at. To end non-conference and head into Big Sky play on a win feels really good. It was a tough game for us," head coach Tracy Sanders said. "We are battling the cold that seems to be going around so for them to persevere and get through that was huge. It will be nice to have a couple of days off."

Fano led all scorers with 26 points and was the leading rebounder in the game with 14. Both were career-highs for the Spanish Fork native and combined to give her her first career double-double. It was also the first double-double by a Thunderbird this season.

Rebecca Cardenas scored 24 points on the night and went 8-for-8 from the free throw line. Ashley Larsen also broke into double digits in scoring with 13 points.

Cardenas currently leads the Big Sky in scoring, dropping them in at a rate of 18.2 points per game, nearly four points better than the next highest scorer in the conference. The senior is also second in field goal percentage (.434) and steals (2.6 spg).

Scouting Report: Portland State Vikings (6-5, 0-1 BSC)

The Vikings opened conference play on Saturday with a 58-77 loss to Northern Colorado. They put together a 6-4 record in non-conference play, including a stint in the Preseason WNIT and a five-game winning streak.

Redshirt junior Tatiana Streun leads the Vikings in scoring and rebounding, averaging 13.4 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game. Reigning Big Sky Top Reserve Player of the Year Desirae Hansen is averaging 12.7 points per game and leads the team in assists with 52.

The Vikings won both matchups last season and have won the last three games against the Thunderbirds.

Game Info

Monday's game is set to tip off at 6:30 p.m. inside the AFEC. The game will be streamed live on PlutoTV channel 536 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 on December 30 against Portland 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 2019-20 regular season home games.