CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah University women's basketball squad heads to St. George to face in-state rival Utah Tech on Thursday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. MT.

Game Info

Southern Utah vs Utah Tech

Date: January 19, 2023

Tip-off: 7 p.m. MT

Live Stream | Live Stats

Southern Utah (9-7, 5-0 WAC)

The Thunderbirds are the lone undefeated team in Western Athletic Conference play with an unblemished 5-0 record. Under the WAC Resume Seeding system, which factors in out of conference games, the Thunderbirds rank fourth overall.

Southern Utah proves to be a force to be reckoned with on the boards by corralling 42.8 rebounds each game, compared to its opponents 35.3 rebounds per game.

Cherita Daugherty was named WAC Women's Basketball Player of the Week after leading her squad to wins over Utah Valley and Sam Houston. Daugherty averaged a mesmerizing 23.0 points, eight assists, and 6.5 rebounds per game over that stretch.

Daugherty leads the team with 15.7 points per game, with Megan Jensen (11.6), Daylani Ballena (11.5), and Lizzy Williamson (10.3) each contributing significantly to the Thunderbirds attack.

Williamson snatches a team-high 10.1 rebounds per game, while Ballena serves as the primary distributor by dishing out 4.12 assists each game.

Last Time Out

First Half

The Thunderbirds started the game strong, exploding to a 9-2 lead after Ballena and Samantha Johnston splashed two threes midway through the quarter. The Bearkats pulled the game back with two consecutive buckets before a melee of suffocating defense ensued from both sides. After neither side scored for two straight minutes, Sam Houston struck back on an 8-2 run to give them the 16-13 lead at the end of the first.  

Southern Utah answered immediately out of the quarter with a 10-0 run of their own, highlighted by a step-back jumper from Daugherty and a deep Ballena three, giving the Thunderbirds a 23-16 lead with 3:19 to play. 

After the Bearkats stopped the run with a fast break layup, Daugherty began to assert her dominance, hitting four free throws and a three-pointer to send the Thunderbirds into the half up 33-21.

Second Half

Sam Houston State got hot at the start of the second half, hitting two layups and a three to cut the Thunderbird's lead to 33-28 at the 4:44 mark. Following the Bearkat run, Alexa Lord hit a second chance layup, and Daugherty began to attack the rim, earning four straight possessions to the free throw line, resulting in eight points. Sam Houston would stay close, but the Thunderbirds had the 43-36 advantage heading into the final quarter. 

The fourth quarter began with back-and-forth play from both sides. Lizzy Williamson hit a mid-range jumper, and Ballena rattled in a layup to get the lead back to double digits, 47-36. Sam Houston State responded with a quick 6-0 spurt off two layups and a pair of free throws to pull the score back to 49-42 at the 5:38 mark. 

As the clock ticked under five minutes to play, Daugherty sunk three free throws to extend the SUU lead back to 56-43, but the Bearkats would answer with a 9-2 run to bring the game back within four points, 56-52, forcing an SUU timeout, with 1:17 left.   

Coming out of the timeout, Daugherty banked in a layup before Sam Houston hit a deep three, making the score 58-55 with 28 seconds remaining. Looking to get one more chance without sending an SUU to the line, the Bearkats elected not to foul, and Jensen muscled in a layup with two seconds left to secure the 60-55 victory.

Utah Tech (12-5, 4-2)

The Thunderbirds and Trailblazers met earlier this season on Dec. 29, with SUU coming away with a 76-61 victory. Utah Tech has been on a roll since then, winning four of its next five games.

Breaunna Gillen is brilliant for Utah Tech, scoring 18.8 points each game while also feeding her teammates a team-high 6.5 assists a game. Maggie McCord leads the team in rebounds with 7.8 per game.

The Trailblazers score 77.9 points per game while holding its opponents to 71.5 points per game.

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