CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah University women's basketball team hits the road for Texas for a crucial pair of conference games. First up, the Thunderbirds will take on Abilene Christian on Thursday, Feb. 29 at 5 p.m. MT. Then, SUU will face Tarleton State on Saturday, Mar. 2 at 1 p.m. MT.

GAME INFO

Southern Utah vs. Abilene Christian

    Date: Thursday, Feb. 29

    Tip-off: 5 p.m. MT

    Live Stream | Live Stats

Southern Utah vs. Tarleton State

    Date: Saturday, Mar. 2

    Tip-off: 1 p.m. MT

    Live Stream | Live Stats

HEAD COACH TRACY MASON SAYS

"I think we understand how important these next few games are. We have some people logging a lot of minutes right now so it has been nice to have a few days to rest their bodies."

CONFERENCE STANDINGS

Southern Utah currently ranks seventh overall in the Western Athletic Conference with a 7-18 record and a 5-11 effort in conference play.

This week the Thunderbirds will face the Wildcats and Texans, who rank sixth and ninth overall in the WAC respectively.

WAC STANDINGS (FEB. 27, 2024)

TOP T-BIRDS

• Daylani Ballena leads the team and ranks fifth overall in scoring (15.5 ppg) and seventh in assists (3.8) in the Western Athletic Conference.

• Ava Uhrich continues her fantastic freshman campaign for the Thunderbirds, pouring in 13.1 points to go along with a team-high 7.3 rebounds each game. Uhrich ranks fourth in the WAC in field goal percentage, shooting an efficient 47.4 percent from the field.

• Samantha Johnston plays an excellent all-around game for SUU, averaging 10.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.0 blocks, and 0.9 steals per game.

• Alexa Lord averages 6.0 points and 5.2 rebounds each contest.

LAST TIME OUT

Southern Utah vs. UT Arlington

First Half

After neither team was able to score a bucket in the opening two minutes, the Lady Mavs were able to take a 24-8 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

Daylani Ballena led the 'Birds with six points in the second quarter as UT Arlington took a 44-27 lead at the break.

Second Half

The two squads traded baskets to start the second half, with UT Arlington narrowly outscoring Southern Utah 21-20 in the period. Ashley Banks led the team with six points in the quarter as the 'Birds trailed 65-47 approaching the final period of play.

Ballena powered a ferocious comeback effort, adding 11 points to spark a 23-11 run by the Thunderbirds to cut the lead to 76-70 with 19 seconds remaining in the game. However, UT Arlington was able to hold on and claim a 78-70 victory.

SCOUTING REPORT: ABILENE CHRISTIAN WILDCATS

• The Wildcats are currently 11-14 overall and 7-9 in Western Athletic Conference play.

• Abilene Christian averages 70.9 points per game, while holding its opponents to 68.7 points.

• Payton Hull scores 15.2 points each contest for ACU.

• Bella Earle leads the team in rebounds (7.6) and assists (3.7) per game.

SCOUTING REPORT: TARLETON STATE TEXANS

• The Texans own a 7-18 record with a 4-12 effort in WAC play.

• Tarleton State scores 60.7 points each game, while its opponents average 66.6 points.

• Jakoria Long leads the team in points (10.6) and assists (2.2) each game.

• Elise Turrubiates corrals a team-high 5.7 rebounds per game.

HISTORY

• The Thunderbirds and Wildcats are tied 1-1 in the all-time series, with SUU coming away with an exciting 82-80 victory last month in Cedar City.

• Southern Utah leads Tarleton State 2-1 in all-time matchups.

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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.

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