BOISE, Idaho – Having rested up after earning a first-round bye, the Southern Utah University women's basketball team is ready to start Big Sky Conference Tournament play Tuesday night when it takes on Idaho in the quarterfinal round.
GAME INFO
Southern Utah vs Idaho
Date: March 8, 2022
Tip-off: 8 p.m. MT
Location: Boise, Idaho
Venue: Idaho Central Arena
Stream: ESPN+
Watch | Listen | Live Stats | Southern Utah Game Notes
SOUTHERN UTAH NOTES (18-11, 14-6 Big Sky)
-Southern Utah enters the Big Sky Tournament with back-to-back wins over Idaho State and Weber State. The Thunderbirds have not won three in a row since the end of January.
-SUU is 2-3 at the Big Sky Tournament under head coach Tracy Sanders.
-Earlier this season, Southern Utah defeated Idaho, 87-65, in Cedar City for its first win over the Vandals since 1996.
-SUU and Idaho have only met once at the Big Sky Tournament with the Vandals claiming victory in 2017.
-Earlier this week, Darri Dotson was named to the All-Big Sky Third Team while Daylani Ballena and Cherita Duagherty earned honorable mention recognition.
ABOUT IDAHO (13-17, 11-9 Big Sky)
-Idaho took care of business in the opening round of the Big Sky Tournament by defeating Portland State, 75-52, Monday night.
-The Vandals closed the regular season winning six of their final seven games.
-Idaho's Beyonce Bea was named First Team All-Big Sky while Louise Forsyth was named the league's top reserve in addition to making the honorable mention list.
-Idaho enters Tuesday's quarterfinal game as the number five scoring offense in the Big Sky at 67.3 points per game and the number nine defense, allowing 71.1 points per game.
LAST TIME OUT
In the final home game of Darri Dotson's storied career, the Southern Utah University women's basketball team defeated Weber State, 75-65, Friday night at the America First Event Center.
Dotson went out on a high note for the Thunderbirds as the game's leading scorer with 18 points. She also pulled down 10 rebounds to complete a double-double. Dotson's work also extended to the defensive end of the floor as she blocked two shots and came away with a steal. Lizzy Williamson joined Dotson's double-double status in the form of 16 points and 13 rebounds. Margarita Satini played a big 10 minutes off the bench as she scored 12 points, and Madelyn Eaton joined her in double figures with 10.
Neither team shot the ball particularly well, but SUU's defense held the Wildcats to just 29.8 percent shooting while the offense knocked down 39.7 percent of its shots. The Thunderbirds also dominated the rebounding battle with a 49-35 advantage. Southern Utah gained its lead in the paint and in bench scored with 36-24 and 30-16 advantages, respectively.
Southern Utah jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. The Thunderbirds did not trail once the entire game and held the lead for 38:42 of game time. SUU grew its lead at large as 16, but the Wildcats managed to hang around and make it a tight game late. With the deficit trimmed to three at the 7:34 mark in the fourth quarter, SUU used a 15-2 run to regain control and hit free throws to put Weber State away.
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