CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah women's basketball team was originally set to host Utah Valley this Friday at 12:00 p.m. inside the America First Event Center, but after a positive test within the UVU program they will now host the BYU Cougars instead.
BYU was originally set to host UVU on Tuesday, but that matchup was also canceled, opening the door for the Thunderbirds and the Cougars to square off. The game will take place as it was originally scheduled to with UVU, 12:00 p.m. on Friday in Cedar City.
Last Time Out
The Lady T-Birds took home two victories last week, beating William Jessup University 74-46 and Grand Canyon University 84-83.
Liz Graves was the leading scorer against William Jessup with 18 points (8-for-11 FG). Cherita Daugherty put up her first double-double as a Thunderbird with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Madelyn Eaton was the third T-Bird in double digits with 14 points. Darri Frandsen led the team in rebounding with 12 on the day.
Graves was once again the leading scorer against Grand Canyon with 24 points. The redshirt senior also pulled down 11 rebounds for her first double-double as a Thunderbird. Darri Frandsen scored 20 points, pulled down eight rebounds, and had three blocks. Cherita Daugherty scored 19 points, had three steals, and went 9-for-9 from the free throw line. The trio of upperclassmen shot a combined 52.6 percent (20-for-38) from the floor and scored 63 of the T-Birds' 84 points.
As a team the Thunderbirds shot 44.8 percent from the floor against GCU, including a huge 52 percent in the second half. They scored 46 points in the paint and 19 points on second chance baskets. They also held the WAC's leading scorer, GCU's Katie Scott, to just six points on the day.
Big Sky Player of the Week
The Big Sky Conference named Southern Utah's Liz Graves the Women's Basketball Player of the Week after her two huge performances last week against William Jessup and Grand Canyon.
Graves scored a combined 42 points, shooting 59 percent (16-for-27) from the floor over two games. The redshirt senior also pulled down 18 rebounds, went 9-for-12 from the free throw line, and had two steals.
This was the first Big Sky Player of the Week award earned by a T-Bird this season and the second of Graves' career. She earned the award once as a Weber State Wildcat.
Southern Utah swept the Big Sky awards as Tevian Jones won the award on the men's side.
Scouting Report: BYU Cougars (3-1)
The Cougars are off to a strong start in 2020, having beaten LSU, Utah State, and Montana State all by double-digit margins. Their only loss of the season so far has come against Washington back on November 28.
Sophomore Shaylee Gonzales leads the team in scoring, averaging 20 points per game. Fellow sophomore Lauren Gustin is averaging a double-double, leading the team in rebounding at 11.5 rpg and averaging 12 points per game. Gustin is the top rebounder in the West Coast Conference.
The last time the Thunderbirds and the Cougars matched up, Southern Utah pulled off a 67-64 victory in the final 20 seconds of play. It was the first time they had beaten the Cougars since 2003 and the first time in Cedar City since 1996.
Head coach Jeff Judkins is in his 20th season at the helm of the program.
Game Day Information
Friday's game against the Cougars is set to tip off at 12:00 p.m. inside the America First Event Center. It will be a part of a doubleheader event with men's basketball as they host Bethesda College at 6:30 p.m.
Both games will be streamed live on PlutoTV channel 1055 and live stats will be available at tbirdstats.com.
Follow Us
Stay up to date during the 2020-21 Lady T-Bird Basketball season by following @SUUWBasketball on Twitter and Instagram and liking the Southern Utah Women's Basketball page on Facebook.
