ARLINGTON, Texas - The Southern Utah University women's basketball team fell to UT Arlington 85-59 on Thursday, Feb. 1 at the College Park Center. The Thunderbirds move to 5-14 overall and 3-7 in Western Athletic Conference play, while the Lady Mavs improve to 10-10 and 6-4 in WAC play.
HEAD COACH TRACY MASON SAYS
"We let the game get away from us. Actions speak louder than words and right now we're saying the right things but we're not doing the right things. We have to learn from our mistakes and move on quickly without making the same mistakes."
THE 1000 POINT CLUB
Senior guard Daylani Ballena added 12 points tonight to push her career scoring total to 1,008. Ballena joins 14 T-Birds to reach over 1,000 career points.
Points
1,762 Cherri Frandsen (1992-1996)
1,671 Myndee Larsen (1993-1998)
1,338 Megan Woolston (1998-2002)
1,328 Challis Pascucci (2007-2011)
1,296 Rebecca Cardenas (2016-2020)
1,225 Hailey Mandelko (2011-2015)
1,216 Caitlyn Sears (2007-2011)
1,146 Susan Pedersen (1976-1980)
1,118 Anne Westwood Higbee (2005-2009)
1,057 Desiree Jackson (2010-2015)
1,056 Breanu Reid (2015-2019)
1,053 Cherita Daugherty (2020-23)
1,047 Denise Muir (1984-1987)
1,044 Carli Moreland (2010-2014)
1,008 Daylan Ballena (ACTIVE)
T-BIRD TIDBITS
-
Samantha Johnston led the way with 16 points, including three makes from beyond the arc.
-
It was a balanced effort on the boards tonight for SUU, as all five starters contributed five rebounds.
-
Daylani Ballena dished out a team-high five assists.
GAME RECAP
First Half
The Lady Mavs took a 4-2 lead to begin the game. The Thunderbirds responded, as Daylani Ballena and Ava Uhrich combined for eight points to spark a 10-0 sprint that put SUU in front 12-4 with 3:33 on the clock. After UT Arlington fought back to tie the game at 12-12, Uhrich drilled a jumper that gave Southern Utah a 14-12 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
UT Arlington came out strong in the second period, using a 10-4 stretch to take a 22-18 lead early on. Then, Samantha Johnston drilled a pair of three pointers to tie the score at 24-24 with 5:28 left in the half. The Lady Mavs closed the frame with a 13-4 run to go up 37-28 at the break.
Second Half
Ballena and Johnston combined for 11 points to lead the Thunderbirds attack in the third quarter. UT Arlington outscored Southern Utah 21-14 in the period to jump in front 58-42 approaching the final frame.
The Thunderbirds relied on a balanced scoring effort in the fourth quarter, with five T-Birds chipping in offensively. However, the lead proved to be insurmountable as the Lady Mavs went on to claim an 85-59 victory.
NOTABLE PLAYS
UP NEXT
The Thunderbirds will have a quick turnaround as they head to Edinburg, Texas to take on the Vaqueros of UTRGV on Saturday, Feb. 3. The game is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. MT.
FOLLOW US
For all the latest on Southern Utah women's basketball, follow @SUUWBasketball on Twitter and Instagram and like the Southern Utah Women's Basketball Facebook page.
DONATE
To help support Thunderbird athletics consider making a donation today! To learn more about how you can support click here.
