CEDAR CITY, Utah - Megan Smith scored a career-high 30 points as the Southern Utah University women's basketball team defeated the University of Alaska Fairbanks 72-58 on Wednesday, Nov. 15 at the America First Event Center. The Thunderbirds improve to 1-2 on the season, while the Nanooks fall to 0-6 overall.
HEAD COACH TRACY MASON SAYS
"Excited to get our first win under our belt. Megan played a terrific game tonight, it was fun to watch her dominate down there and I think we all know what she's capable of."
Link to Full Post-Game Interview
T-BIRD TIDBITS
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The Thunderbirds were dominant down low, outscoring the Nanooks 52-20 in the paint.
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Southern Utah shot 42 percent from the field, while holding Alaska Fairbanks to only 38 percent shooting.
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Megan Smith led the way offensively for SUU with 30 points and five rebounds.
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Daylani Ballena had a stellar performance with 18 points to go along with five boards.
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Ava Uhrich played a versatile game, recording eight points, six rebounds, two assists, three steals, and two blocks.
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Samantha Johnston tallied a team-high four assists for the Thunderbirds.
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Shiho Isono added valuable minutes off the bench, recording four points and four steals in 20 minutes of action.
GAME RECAP
First Half
Megan Smith dominated offensively to start the game, scoring 10 of the T-Bird's first 14 points to give SUU a 14-10 advantage midway through the opening quarter. A pair of layups by Alexa Lord gave the Thunderbirds an 18-10 lead with 1:13 on the clock. Alaska Fairbanks managed to trim the lead to five, 20-15, at the end of the period.
Southern Utah came out strong to begin the second quarter, using an 8-2 run to claim a double-digit lead (28-17) with 5:03 remaining. The Nanooks answered with a 9-4 sprint to close the gap to only six, 32-26, with 1:04 left in the first half. Daylani Ballena earned two points at the charity stripe to push SUU in front 34-26 at the break.
Second Half
Alaska Fairbanks used a 15-10 burst to get within three points, 44-41 midway through the third quarter. The Thunderbirds responded, with Shiho Isono adding a pair of buckets to fuel a 6-2 run that put SUU in front 50-42 approaching the final period.
Smith and Ballena were electric in the fourth quarter, combining for 18 points to earn a 72-58 victory for Southern Utah.
NOTABLE PLAYS
UP NEXT
The Thunderbirds will face their first road test of the season on Sunday, Nov. 19 as they travel to California to face UC Santa Barbara. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 3:00 p.m. MT.
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