CEDAR CITY, Utah – The Southern Utah University women's basketball team will take on the top dog in the Big Sky Conference Thursday when it welcomes Montana State to town.
GAME INFO
Southern Utah vs Montana State
Date: February 10, 2022
Tip-off: 6:30 p.m. MT
Location: Cedar City, Utah
Venue: America First Event Center
Stream: ESPN+
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets | SUU Game Notes
SUU NOTES (13-8, 9-3 Big Sky)
-Southern Utah and Montana State will face each other on short notice with the announcement of the game coming just one day before tip-off.
-The Thunderbirds and Bobcats have met four times during the tenure of head coach Tracy Sanders. Montana State has won each of those meetings.
-Both games between SUU and MSU were canceled last year due to COVID-19. The last time the two schools met in March of 2020, Montana State won, 81-65.
-The T-Birds and Bobcats are two of the top scoring offenses in the conference. SUU is first at 72.1 points per game while MSU is third, averaging 69.9 points per contest.
-Lizzy Williamson and Darri Dotson are fourth and fifth in the league in rebounds per game.
ABOUT MONTANA STATE (15-8, 10-2)
-Montana State enters Thursday's contest atop the Big Sky Conference standings and winners of eight-straight games.
-Darian While leads the Bobcats in scoring with an average of 16.8 points per game. She is followed by Koa Bad Bear who averages 10.6 points per contest.
-Tricia Binford is in her 17th season as head coach at Montana State.
LAST TIME OUT
Despite fighting back to take the lead midway through the fourth quarter, the Southern Utah University women's basketball team fell to Montana in the final second by a score of 69-64 Monday night at the America First Event Center.
The Grizzlies outrebounded SUU by a tally of 46-36, including a 20-16 advantage on the offensive glass and 20-16 advantage on the offensive glass and 26-20 advantage in defensive rebounding. Two key rebounds for the Grizzlies occurred late when they held just a two-point lead with 49 seconds left. Montana missed two shots on the offensive end, but SUU failed to secure either rebound, and the Grizzlies forced the T-Birds to foul and send them to the free-throw line.
The Thunderbirds had three players in double figures in the losing effort, led by Daylani Ballena who scored a game-high 18 points on an 8-of-16 clip from the field. Samantha Johnston added 11 points with three 3-pointers, and Cherita Daugherty scored 10 on the night. Southern Utah was led defensively by Darri Dotson who recorded five blocks and a steal.
Southern Utah trailed for most of the game with Montana leading for nearly 36 minutes of game time. The Thunderbirds fought their way back in the second half to claim a two-point lead, but it was short lived as the Grizzlies continued to score off second-chance points. SUU had possession with 15 seconds remaining in the game and faced just a three-point deficit, but could not get a shot off as Montana forced a turnover and iced the game at the free-throw line.
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