CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah University women's basketball team fell to 0-5 in an 82-53 matchup with the undefeated Saint Joseph's University Hawks, who extended their winning record to 4-0 on the season.
Top T-Birds
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Daylani Ballena led the Thunderbirds in scoring, tallying 12 points on an accurate 54.5% shooting from the field.
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Ava Uhrich put together a ten-point performance, adding three rebounds and three assists.
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In just under eight minutes on the court, freshman Olivia Malafu recorded six points and a steal.
Head Coach Tracy Mason Said:
Game Recap
First Half
The Hawks pulled to an early lead with a 12-0 run out of the gate. A spread attack led by Uhrich and Sydney Gandy broke SUU's nearly four-minute drought and moved the score to 27-14 by the end of the first quarter.
Opening the second, SJU and SUU exchanged points, with a three-pointer from Samantha Johnston cutting the double-digit deficit to nine. However, a long Hawks run to end the half put them up 51-29.
Second Half
Despite two blocks from Samantha Johnston, Saint Joseph's carried this run into the second half, climbing to a 32-point lead while holding Southern Utah scoreless for nearly six minutes. Strong play from Ballena and Ashley Banks finally sparked life into the Thunderbirds offense to make it a 61-37 game.
In the fourth, SUU saw play from some of its underclassmen, with freshman Sierra Chambers scoring six points and Malafu scoring four to cap off the 82-53 loss.
Highlights
Up Next
SUU will look to pick up their first win on Friday, Nov. 22 in the America First Event Center against a struggling Bethesda University of California team at 6:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
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