CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah University women's basketball squad, winners of nine of its last ten games, will split this week's contests at home and on the road.
First up, the Thunderbirds will face New Mexico State on Thursday, Feb. 9 at 3:00 p.m. MTÂ at the America First Event Center. Then, Southern Utah will make a trip to Orem to take on Utah Valley on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 2:00 p.m. MT.
Game Info
Southern Utah vs New Mexico State
Date: Thursday, Feb. 9
Tip-off: 3:00 p.m. MT
Live Stream | Live Stats
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Southern Utah vs Utah Valley
Date: Saturday, Feb. 11
Tip-off: 2:00 p.m. MT
Live Stream | Live Stats
WAC Standings
The Western Athletic Conference is different from most conferences when it comes to seeding its teams, as the standings factor in non-conference play into its rankings.
So, even though Southern Utah has a better record in conference play, it ranks second to Stephen F. Austin due to non-conference play.
This week, SUU faces seventh-seeded New Mexico State and thirteenth-seeded Utah Valley.
2022-23 WAC WBB Resume Seeding System (as of Feb. 7)
|
Rank
|
Team
|
W
|
L
|
CW
|
CL
|
WACPts
|
|
1.
|
Stephen F. Austin
|
19
|
4
|
9
|
2
|
5.05
|
|
2.
|
Southern Utah
|
13
|
8
|
9
|
1
|
2.05
|
|
3.
|
Grand Canyon
|
16
|
6
|
8
|
3
|
1.57
|
|
4.
|
Utah Tech
|
14
|
8
|
6
|
5
|
0.38
|
|
5.
|
Sam Houston
|
11
|
11
|
7
|
4
|
-0.56
|
|
6.
|
California Baptist
|
11
|
11
|
7
|
4
|
-0.65
|
|
7.Â
|
NM State
|
12
|
11
|
7
|
4
|
-1.33
|
|
8.
|
UT Arlington
|
10
|
13
|
4
|
7
|
-1.71
|
|
9.
|
Abilene Christian
|
11
|
11
|
5
|
6
|
-2.43
|
|
10.
|
UTRGV
|
8
|
13
|
2
|
8
|
-3.73
|
|
11.Â
|
Tarleton
|
7
|
15
|
1
|
10
|
-5.79
|
|
12.
|
Seattle U
|
3
|
17
|
3
|
7
|
-7.20
|
|
13.
|
Utah Valley
|
5
|
17
|
2
|
9
|
-7.82
|
PREVIEW
Southern Utah (13-8, 9-1 WAC)
National Rankings!
Southern Utah ranks among the top in the country in several categories.
   Â
Total Rebounds/Game - TEAM
1. Troy, 51.35
17. Southern Utah, 42.81
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Rebound Margin - TEAM
1. South Carolina, 21.5
21. Southern Utah, 8.0
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Total Blocks/Game - TEAM
1. South Carolina, 9.7
19. Southern Utah, 4.9
T-Bird Tidbits
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The Thunderbirds boast a 9-1 conference record.
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Southern Utah has already clinched its spot in the WAC tournament next month.
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Cherita Daugherty leads the charge on offense with 14.8 points per game.
-
Megan Jensen (11.8), Daylani Ballena (10.8), and Lizzy Williamson (10.0) also score in double digits.
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Williamson averages a team-high 10.3 rebounds per game and 2.29 blocks a game.
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Ballena leads the team in the assist category with 3.8 per game.
Last Time Out
First Half
UT Arlington opened up the game with a quick 5-0 run.
The Thunderbirds responded with a burst of their own. Cherita Daugherty sliced to the rim and scored to put SUU on the board at the 6:52 mark in the first quarter. On the following play, Lizzy Williamson found Tomekia Whitman under the basket for another score. Megan Jensen would give the Thunderbird their first lead of the day, 6-5, after scoring in the post.
Samantha Johnston capped off a 9-0 SUU run after splashing a three pointer with 3:26 on the clock. After the Mavs managed to score a layup to end the drought, Johnston drilled another trey to push the T-Birds ahead 12-7.Â
UT Arlington connected on a jumper to cut to the 'Birds lead to three, 12-9, heading into the second period.
Daugherty stayed aggressive to begin the second quarter, earning a trip to the foul line and hitting both free throws.
Ashley Banks grabbed an offensive rebound and finished strong through a foul. Banks sank the free throw, giving the T-Birds a 17-9 advantage with 8:53 left in the quarter.
After the Mavs canned a three pointer, Daugherty drove the lane and scored the basket plus a foul for an old-fashioned three point play, giving the 'Birds a 20-12 lead with 7:52 on the clock.
The two squads traded baskets on the following possessions, with the Mavs sinking a jumper and Williamson scoring in the paint for SUU.
Johnston pushed the Thunderbirds lead to 11, 25-14, after drilling her third trifecta of the game with 5:19 left in the quarter.
UT Arlington scored four consecutive points to try and cut into the lead, but the Thunderbirds replied with a 4-0 run of their own, highlighted by an offensive rebound and score by Jensen, to push the lead back to double digits, 29-18, with 2:01 remaining in the half.
The Mavs used a 5-0 burst to cut the T-Birds lead to 29-23 heading into the second half.
Second Half
UT Arlington stayed aggressive, putting together a 4-0 run to cut the lead to only two, 29-27.
The Thunderbirds fired back with a 4-0 sprint of their own. Ballena connected with Williamson in the post for the bucket. Then, Ballena scored on a midrange jumper to make the score 33-27 in favor of Southern Utah at the 6:51 mark.
The Mavs added two points to their total from the foul line. On the following play, Williamson snatched an offensive rebound and put it back up and in to push the SUU lead to six, 35-29.
UT Arlington went on a 6-0 spurt to tie the match up at 35-35 with 2:53 remaining in the period.
Daugherty used a pull-up jumper to retake the lead, and scored a fastbreak layup on the following play to extend it, 39-35.
The Mavs hit a pair of free throws to stop the run. Daugherty scored yet again, this time a fadeaway jumper in the post, to make the score 41-37 at the end of the third quarter.
The fourth quarter was a back and forth affair. The Mavs began with a 6-0 run, taking a 43-41 lead with 8:36 remaining in the game.
Daugherty tied the game at 43-43 on the following possession by earning a visit to the foul line and hitting two free throws.
Neither team was able to hold a lead for long. The Mavs scored on a jump shot, only for Whitman to score in the paint to keep things squared up.
After UT Arlington sank two free throws, Daugherty came down the floor and splashed a jumper to make the score 47-47 with 6:28 left on the clock.
Whitman scored the next four points for SUU, answering each Mavs bucket with one of her own, and soon the game was tied at 51 apiece with only 4:27 remaining.
The Mavs connected on a three pointer to break the stalemate. Southern Utah responded by feeding Williamson a layup in the post, cutting the UT Arlington lead to only one, 54-53.
SUU briefly took a 55-54 advantage with 2:00 minutes left after Johnston connected on a pair of free throws.
After the Mavs scored five straight points to go back in front, Daugherty earned a trip to the free throw line. Daugherty sank both shots, making the score 58-57 in favor of UT Arlington.
With 25 seconds remaining in the game, the Mavs fouled Daugherty once more, who split a pair of free throws to tie the game at 58-58.
On the final possession of the game, UT Arlington grabbed an offensive rebound with seconds remaining and scored a layup at the buzzer to claim a 60-58 victory.
OPPONENTS
NEW MEXICO STATE AGGIESÂ (12-11, 7-4 WAC)
New Mexico State owns a 12-11 record with a 7-4 effort in conference play.
Molly Kaiser leads the team with 11.5 points per game, while Sylena Peterson ranks second overall with 9.8 points a game.
The Aggies score 63.4 points per game while holding their opponents to 59.3 points each game.
UTAH VALLEY WOLVERINESÂ (5-17, 2-9 WAC)
Utah Valley owns a 5-17 record with a 2-9 mark in WAC play.
A pair of Wolverines score in double digits with Jaeden Brown (14.6) and Shay Fano (10.8) powering the offense.
The Wolverines score 53.5 points a game compared to their opponents 67.2 points per game.
History
Southern Utah is 3-4 against New Mexico State overall. The Thunderbirds came away with a 61-58 victory against the Aggies in Las Cruces earlier this season on Dec. 31.
SUU leads the series against Utah Valley, with the 'Birds owning a 16-9 record against the Wolverines. The Thunderbirds most recent victory came on Jan. 11, as SUU came away with a 70-66 triumph in Cedar City.
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