CEDAR CITY, Utah – After picking up its first win of the season earlier in the week, the Southern Utah University women's basketball team is back in action Saturday with a road game at future Western Athletic Conference foe UTRGV Saturday afternoon.
GAME INFO
Southern Utah at UTRGV
Date: November 27
Tip-off: Noon MT
Location: Edinburg, Texas
Venue: UTRGV Fieldhouse
TV: ESPN+
Live Stream | Live Stats
ABOUT UTRGV (1-3)
-The Vaqueros enter Saturday's contest fresh off their first win of the season. UTRGV took down McNeese State, 74-70, on Sunday. UTRGV had previously lost to South Florida, Texas A&M Corpus Chrsti and Northern Colorado.
-Sara Bershers leads UTRGV with 17.3 points per game. She is closely followed by Taylor Muff who is averaging 14.5 points per contest.
-UTRGV is coached by Lane Lord who is in his fourth season at the helm of the program.
LAST TIME OUT
Thunderbird center Lizzy Williamson recorded a monster double-double with 35 points and 23 rebounds which led the Southern Utah University women's basketball team to its first win of the 2021-22 campaign over SAGU American Indian College, 120-59, Monday night at the America First Event Center.
Williamson was knocking on the door of a few school records with her performance as she finished just two rebounds shy of the program's single game rebounding record. Her 35 points were also the fifth-best single game total in SUU history.
One record the Thunderbirds did break was the highest team point total in a single game. SUU's 120 points against SAGU are the most since scoring 109 against Colorado College in 1976. Southern Utah accomplished this by shooting 54.8 percent from the field while knocking down seven 3-point shots.
Williamson was not the only T-Bird with a big night as Kinsley Barrington added 18 points of her own to SUU's total. She was joined in double figures by Daylani Ballena and Madelyn Eaton who recorded 13 and 10 points, respectively. Ballena finished the night with a game-high eight assists, just two shy of her own double-double.
School records and big time individual performances were not the only reason for the Thunderbirds to celebrate on the night, as SUU newcomer Natalia Otkhmezuri made her T-Bird debut. Otkhmezuri became the first NCAA Division I basketball ever to come from the Republic of Georgia when she took the floor Monday night. In her debut, she scored eight points including a make from beyond the arc.
NOTES AND QUOTES
-In its last game against SAGU, Southern Utah set a program record for points in a single game with 120.
-Lizzie Williamson had a career day last time out with 35 points and 23 rebounds. She was just two rebounds shy of setting a new school record.
-The Thunderbirds and Vaqueros met twice last season with SUU claiming victory in both meetings. The first game was close with Southern Utah narrowly edging UTRGV, 80-73, before the T-Birds won the second game in blowout fashion by a score of 92-64.
-UTRGV is the second of three WAC opponents SUU will face this year. The Thunderbirds narrowly fell to Utah Valley earlier in the year and will face Dixie State on December 21.
"I think it was a great team win. Everyone got in and competed. We had 29 assists, which is huge, and scored a lot of points. Defensively, there are some things we can continue to work on, and offensively as well. We had a huge height advantage, and the team did a good job of getting the ball to Lizzy and she obviously had a career night which was really fun to watch."
-Sanders on her team's first win of the season
"The ladies have been hard at work and are so excited to take the floor this November. We have some great games in our preseason with several WAC opponents as well as Colorado here in Cedar City. The Big Sky Conference will be tough as usual with some talented new coaches in the league. We just can't wait to start the season."
-Sanders on the release of the 2021-22 schedule
"I am so proud to call Southern Utah University and Cedar City home. It has been an incredible three years and I'm so excited about the direction of our program. We have some extremely talented players that have bought into both the vision and the culture of Southern Utah women's basketball. I'd like to thank Athletic Director Debbie Corum and Deputy Athletic Director Sonia Hahn for their continued support of our program and the opportunity they have given me to continue doing what I love alongside an incredible staff here at Southern Utah University."
-Sanders on her contract extension
"We are thrilled that Tracy will be leading our program for years to come. The improvement her teams have shown each year since she joined the Thunderbird family has been evident. Her players have excelled both on the court and in the classroom, and we are confident in her ability to take the program to new heights in the coming years."
-Southern Utah Athletic Director Debbie Corum on Sanders' contract extension
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