CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah women's basketball team heads to Texas for a pair of conference games this week. First up, the Thunderbirds will take on UT Arlington on Thursday, Feb. 1 at 5 p.m. MT. Then, SUU will face the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 1 p.m. MT.

GAME INFO

Southern Utah vs. UT Arlington

    Date: Thursday, Feb. 1

    Tip-off: 5 p.m. MT

    Live Stream | Live Stats

Southern Utah vs. UTRGV

    Date: Saturday, Feb. 3

    Tip-off: 1 p.m. MT

    Live Stream | Live Stats

HEAD COACH TRACY MASON SAYS

"I'm so impressed with this group and their drive to get in and work hard everyday. We have two important games this week and right now we're focusing on UTA and what we need to do to be successful."

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.

Southern Utah currently holds the eighth seed in the conference. 

This week the Thunderbirds will face the Mavericks and Vaqueros, who rank fourth and ninth overall respectively.

WAC RESUME SEEDING SYSTEM WBB UPDATE (JAN. 28, 2024)

TOP T-BIRDS

• Daylani Ballena powers the Thunderbirds' offense with 14.8 points and 3.6 assists per game. Ballena is approaching a major career milestone, as she is four points shy of reaching 1,000 career points.

• Freshman Ava Uhrich, the reigning WAC Newcomer of the Week, continues to impress for SUU. Uhrich contributes 13.9 points and a team-best 8.0 rebounds per game. Uhrich is tied for the most double-doubles this season in the WAC, totaling six overall and five in conference games.

• Samantha Johnston adds 8.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.0 steals per contest for the Thunderbirds.

LAST TIME OUT

Southern Utah vs. Abilene Christian

First Half

Ava Uhrich jumpstarted the offense for SUU, scoring the first five points to give the Thunderbirds a 5-4 lead early in the first quarter. Then, Samantha Johnston caught fire, connecting on three shots from behind the arc to push the 'Birds in front 14-10. Abilene Christian would fight back to get within a single point, 16-15, with 3:11 on the clock. The Thunderbirds countered with a 9-4 stretch to take a 25-19 advantage at the end of the first frame.

Southern Utah relied on a balanced attack as it used an 11-6 push to extend its lead to double-digits, 37-26, midway through the second period. However, the Wildcats posted a 14-5 rally to trim the 'Birds lead to 41-39. The Thunderbirds closed out the half on a 9-2 run to go up 50-41 at the break.

Second Half

The two squads traded buckets in a back-and-forth third quarter. The Thunderbirds shot an efficient 7-11 from the field as they outscored the Wildcats 22-20. Johnston and Ballena combined for 10 points in the period to give SUU a 72-61 lead approaching the final period of play.

Abilene Christian came out hot in the fourth quarter, using a 19-7 run to take a 80-79 lead with 1:45 remaining in the game. Southern Utah got the ball to Uhrich, who delivered a layup to retake the lead with less than a minute remaining. After Ashley Banks came up with a steal on the defensive end, Uhrich split a pair of free throws to push SUU in front 82-80 with six seconds left. Johnston came up with a big defensive play, rejecting a three point attempt from the Wildcats to secure a 82-80 victory for Southern Utah.

SCOUTING REPORT: UT ARLINGTON MAVERICKS

• The Mavericks own a 9-10 record with a 5-4 effort in Western Athletic Conference play.

• UT Arlington averages 66.9 points per game, while its opponents score 72.4 points.

• Gia Adams (12.8) and Taliyah Clark (12.6) lead the Mavericks in scoring.

• Avery Brittingham corralls a team-high 8.2 rebounds and dishes out 3.9 assists per game.

SCOUTING REPORT: UTRGV VAQUEROS

• UTRGV is currently 4-14 overall and 3-6 in WAC play. The Vaqueros will face Utah Tech earlier in the week before taking on the Thunderbirds on Saturday.

• The Vaqueros score 59.9 points each game, while allowing their opponents to score 70.8 points.

• Iyana Dorsey fuels the Vaqueros' attack with 14.1 points per contest.

• Kade Hackeroot leads the team in rebounds (8.1) and assists (2.8) per game.

HISTORY

• The Mavericks own a 2-0 all-time lead over the Thunderbirds.

• Southern Utah is 5-0 against UTRGV all-time.

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