OREM, Utah - The Southern Utah University women's basketball team earned a hard fought victory against in-state rival Utah Valley 67-66 in double overtime on Saturday afternoon at Lockhart Arena. The Thunderbirds improve to 7-17 overall and 5-10 in Western Athletic Conference play, while the Wolverines fall to 9-15 and 4-11 in conference play.
HEAD COACH TRACY MASON SAYS
"I'm just really proud of our grit. You could tell we had some pretty exhausted bodies out there. It wasn't the prettiest but we made plays and executed the game plan down the stretch."
T-BIRD TIDBITS
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The Thunderbirds played stifling defense, holding the Wolverines to 30 percent shooting from the field and only 17 percent from behind the arc.
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Southern Utah won the rebounding war 52-38.
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The 'Birds amassed 13 blocks compared to four for the Wolverines.
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All five starters for SUU registered a field goal.
TOP T-BIRDS
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Samantha Johnston powered the Thunderbirds' offense with 20 points on 5-11 shooting from the field. Johnston came up big on the defensive end as well, registering a career-high five blocks.
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Ava Uhrich scored 15 points and pulled down eight rebounds.
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Daylani Ballena chipped in 15 points and a team-high seven assists and two steals.
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Ashley Banks corralled a career-high 13 rebounds to go along with four points and four blocks.
GAME RECAP
First Half
Utah Valley jumped out to a 4-0 lead to begin the game. Then, Daylani Ballena added four points to fuel an 11-3 sprint to help the Thunderbirds take an 11-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Wolverines used a 10-2 stretch to start the second period to go up 17-13 with 4:01 on the clock. Ballena scored the next five points for SUU to retake the lead, 18-17. Alexa Lord rounded out a 7-0 burst with a baseline jumper with only one second remaining to give the Thunderbirds a 20-17 advantage at the break.
Second Half
Ava Uhrich led the way offensively for SUU with six points in the third period. However, Utah Valley outscored the Thunderbirds 28-11 in the frame to go up 45-31 heading into the final quarter.
The Thunderbirds stormed back in the fourth quarter, with Samantha Johnston pouring in 10 points to fuel a 20-9 run that trimmed the lead to three, 54-51, with 42 seconds on the clock. Johnston stayed hot from behind the arc as she drilled a three pointer with only seven seconds remaining to tie the game 54-54 at the end of regulation.
Overtime
Utah Valley scored the first six points of the extra period, taking a 60-54 lead with 2:06 left. The Thunderbirds were able to get to the charity stripe, where they converted on six straight free throws to tie the game at 60 apiece and set up a second overtime period.
Double Overtime
The two squads traded buckets as the score was tied at 64-64 with 3:04 left in the period. Johnston earned a trip to the line where she split a pair of free throws to push SUU in front 65-64 with 1:33 left. With less than a minute remaining, Ballena connected on a jumper to give the Thunderbirds a 67-64 advantage. The Wolverines scored a layup to get within a single point, but were unable to connect on the final possession as the 'Birds would hang on to earn a 67-66 victory.
NOTABLE PLAYS
UP NEXT
Southern Utah returns to the America First Event Center to host UT Arlington on Wednesday, Feb. 21. The game is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. MT.
FOLLOW US
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