NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Ava Uhrich led the Southern Utah University women's basketball team with a career-high 19 points as the Thunderbirds fell to Stephen F. Austin 68-53 on Saturday afternoon at William R. Johnson Coliseum. The T-Birds move to 4-10 overall and 2-3 in Western Athletic Conference play, while the Ladyjacks improve to 11-6 and 5-1 in WAC play.
HEAD COACH TRACY MASON SAYS
"We are playing well in spurts. We need consistency for a full 40 minutes. I thought Ava played a tough game for us, she's taking on a big scoring role as a freshman. It was nice to get Ashley back in the flow, we're going to need her moving forward."
T-BIRD TIDBITS
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Four players grabbed at least five rebounds for SUU.
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All eight players to check in for the Thunderbirds registered a field goal.
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Southern Utah won the battle in the paint, outscoring SFA 40-38 down low.
TOP T-BIRDS
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Freshman Ava Uhrich led the way for SUU with a career-high 19 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals.
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Daylani Ballena scored 13 points to go along with five boards.
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Samantha Johnston played a versatile game, tallying six points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks.
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Ashley Banks had a strong performance in her first game back from injury, adding four points and six rebounds.
GAME RECAP
First Half
The Ladyjacks took a 9-0 lead to start the game. The Thunderbirds were able to weather the storm, as Daylani Ballena erupted for six early points to spark a 8-2 run that trimmed the 'Jacks lead to 11-8 with 5:21 left in the first quarter. A flurry of layups from Ashley Banks and Ava Uhrich allowed the Thunderbirds to stay within striking distance, 17-14, late in the quarter. Stephen F. Austin used a 5-0 stretch to take a 22-14 advantage heading into the second period of play.
The two teams traded buckets in the second frame. Uhrich caught fire for the T-Birds, pouring in eight of her 12 first half points as SUU outscored SFA 13-12 in the period. The Ladyjacks held a 34-27 lead at the break.
Second Half
Southern Utah shot 58.3 percent from the field in the third quarter, with Ballena leading the attack with seven points in the period. The Thunderbirds opened the period with an 8-7 stretch to get within six, 41-35, with 7:05 on the clock. That was as close as the T-Birds would get, as the Ladyjacks would close the quarter with a 13-7 run to go up 54-42 approaching the fourth quarter.
The Thunderbirds relied on a balanced scoring effort in the final period. Four T-Birds connected on a field goal to fuel the team's offense, but it wasn't enough as the Ladyjacks would go on to claim a 68-53 victory.
NOTABLE PLAYS
UP NEXT
The Thunderbirds will remain on the road next week as they travel to St. George to take on in-state rival Utah Tech on Thursday, Jan. 18. The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. MT.
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