CEDAR CITY, Utah - Four players scored in double-figures as the Southern Utah University women's basketball team fell to Northern Arizona 81-70 on Thursday, Dec. 21 at the America First Event Center. The Thunderbirds move to 3-7 overall, while the Lumberjacks improve to 8-3 on the season.
HEAD COACH TRACY MASON SAYS
"I think that we definitely had our opportunities today and we didn't take care of business. There's a lot of things that we need to continue to work on."
Link to Full Post-Game Interview
T-BIRD TIDBITS
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Southern Utah won the rebounding battle, corralling 39 boards compared to just 36 for Northern Arizona.
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The Thunderbirds connected on 42.9 percent of their attempts from behind the arc, while holding the Lumberjacks to only 36.8 percent shooting from downtown.
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Seven total players registered a field goal for the Thunderbirds.
TOP T-BIRDS
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Megan Smith scored a team-high 21 points on an efficient 10-17 shooting from the field to go along with nine rebounds. This marks the third time Smith has eclipsed over 20 points in a game this season.
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Ava Uhrich had another impressive outing for the Thunderbirds, recording her second double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 boards.
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Daylani Ballena added to the Thunderbirds' attack, chipping in 13 points and four assists.
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Freshman Charli Kay was the fourth T-Bird to record double digit scoring, registering 12 points on 5-9 shooting from the field.
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Samantha Johnston played an impressive all-around game, recording seven points, seven rebounds, four assists, one block, and one steal.
GAME RECAP
First Half
The Thunderbirds took a 4-0 lead to start the game, with Daylani Ballena and Megan Smith each knocking down a field goal. The Lumberjacks responded with an 11-2 stretch to jump in front 11-6 midway through the first quarter. Charli Kay and Ava Uhrich combined for nine points to spark a 15-7 run that gave SUU a 21-18 lead at the end of the first period.
The second quarter was a back-and-forth affair. After the Lumberjacks knotted things up at 23-23, Kay canned a triple to push the Thunderbirds in front 26-23. NAU fought back to briefly retake the lead, 28-26, but it didn't last long. Smith scored the next six points for Southern Utah to give the T-Birds a 32-30 advantage with 5:17 remaining in the first half. The Lumberjacks closed the half with a 13-8 run as the Thunderbirds trailed 43-40 at the break.
Second Half
Smith stayed hot for Southern Utah, chipping in five points as the T-Birds outscored the Lumberjacks 10-5 to go up by two, 50-48, midway through the period. However, Northern Arizona battled back with a 12-6 spurt to take a 60-56 advantage heading into the final period of play.
Smith and Uhrich each scored layups to tie the game at 60-60 early in the fourth quarter, but that was as close as the Thunderbirds would get, as the Lumberjacks would go on to claim a 81-70 victory.
NOTABLE PLAYS
UP NEXT
The Thunderbirds will wrap up non-conference play on the road against the University of Texas at El Paso on Saturday, Dec. 30. The game is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. MT.
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