CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah University women's basketball team will begin Western Athletic Conference play this week with a pair of home games. First, the Thunderbirds will take on California Baptist on Tuesday, Nov. 28 at 6:30 p.m. MT. Then, SUU will face Seattle U on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 2:00 p.m. MT.

GAME INFO

Southern Utah vs. California Baptist

    Date: Tuesday, Nov. 28

    Tip-off: 6:30 p.m. MT.

    Live Stream | Live Stats

Southern Utah vs. Seattle U

    Date: Saturday, Dec. 2

    Tip-off: 2:00 p.m. MT.

    Live Stream | Live Stats

HEAD COACH TRACY MASON SAYS

"We have two big games this week as we open WAC play. We're going to take it one game at a time and focus on doing the things we need to do to be successful against Cal Baptist first. We've had a great week of practice and I'm always impressed with this group's desire to work hard and get in the gym."

TOP T-BIRDS

• Megan Smith leads the team with 18.0 points per game on a remarkable 62 percent shooting from the field.

• Daylani Ballena (15.0) and Ava Uhrich (10.3) each score in double figures each game as well.

• Uhrich leads the T-Birds in rebounds, corralling 6.0 boards each game.

• Samantha Johnston serves as the team's primary distributor, dishing out 4.0 assists per contest to go along with 8.0 points per game.

• Shiho Isono has added tremendous defense, leading the team with 1.8 steals per game.

LAST TIME OUT

Southern Utah vs. UC Santa Barbara

First Half

After the Gauchos scored on their first two possessions, the Thunderbirds exploded with an 8-0 burst to take an 8-4 lead early in the game. UC Santa Barbara rallied to tie the score at 14-14 with 3:33 remaining in the first quarter. Charli Kay and Ashley Banks sparked a 5-2 run by SUU to give the T-Birds a 19-16 advantage at the end of the quarter.

Shiho Isono led SUU with six points in the second quarter, as UC Santa Barbara took a 32-29 lead at halftime.

Second Half

UC Santa Barbara came out strong to start the second half, outscoring SUU 21-12 in the third quarter to take a 53-41 lead approaching the final period of play.

The Gauchos hit a triple on the opening possession of the quarter to stretch their lead to 56-41. Megan Smith and Samantha Johnston combined for 10 points as the Thunderbirds mounted a ferocious 12-3 run to get within six, 59-53, with 5:03 remaining in the game. That was as close as SUU would get, however, as UC Santa Barbara would go on to claim a 71-61 victory.

SCOUTING REPORT: CALIFORNIA BAPTIST LANCERS

• CBU owns an unblemished 5-0 record heading into Tuesday's matchup against SUU.

• The Lancers score 76.6 points per game while holding their opponents to 68.4 points each game.

• Chloe Webb averages 20.3 points and 8.0 rebounds a game to lead California Baptist.

• Grace Schmidt (15.6) and Anaiyah Tu'ua (10.0) each score in double figures.

SCOUTING REPORT: SEATTLE U REDHAWKS

• The Redhawks are currently 0-6 on the season. Seattle U will attempt to get in the win column against Utah Valley on Wednesday before facing SUU on Saturday.

• Seattle U scores 58.5 points a game, while their opponents score 77.8 points each contest.

• Mya Moore leads the team with 14.3 points per game.

• Irena Korolenko scores 13.2 points per game along with a team-high 7.8 rebounds a game.

HISTORY

• Southern Utah leads the all-time series against California Baptist 2-0. The two squads last met in the WAC Tournament championship game, where the Thunderbirds came away with a 82-73 victory.

• The Thunderbirds hold a 1-0 all-time record against the Redhawks.

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