RENO, Nev. - The Southern Utah University women's basketball team couldn't pull off the comeback against the undefeated University of Portland Pilots, losing their neutral site matchup and first game of the Nugget Classic 77-63 on Friday, Nov. 29. Despite 22 points from Thunderbird Ava Uhrich, SUU falls to 1-6 on the season, while Portland extends their winning streak to six.
Head Coach Tracy Mason Said:
"We have to start stronger. We played really well for three quarters but we had dug ourselves into a hole and had to fight the rest of the game to come back from it. Ava played a great game and I thought Via did some really good things for us as well."
Top T-Birds
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In addition to leading the team with 22 points, Uhrich posted a team-high eight rebounds.
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Jaeden Brown shot 50% from the field and 100% from the charity stripe, chipping in ten points and five rebounds.
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Daylani Ballena rounded out the scoring attack, with nine points and four assists.
Game Recap
First Half
Southern Utah struggled in the first quarter with the Pilots pulling away quickly on an 18-1 run. Uhrich and Samantha Johnston finally jumpstarted the Thunderbirds offense with three minutes left, putting points on the board to make it a 23-7 game.
A heavy dose of baskets in the paint from Uhrich and Olivia Malafu opened the second, each scoring six points. Sierra Chambers pitched in a three-pointer to close the half down 44-29.
Second Half
SUU cut into Portland's lead even further in the third quarter, stringing together back-to-back steal-and-scores. Nine points from Ballena in the period drew the Thunderbirds even closer, with comeback potential at a score of 67-57.
Despite eight more points from Uhrich and a drained three from Johnston on the perimeter, Southern Utah couldn't close the gap further, with the Pilots fending them off to win the game 77-63.
Highlights
Up Next
The Thunderbirds will play their second game of the tournament against the University of Reno, Nevada on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 2:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on the Mountain West Network.
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