EDINBURG, Texas - Four players scored in double-figures as the Southern Utah University women's basketball team defeated the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in overtime 68-65 on Saturday, Feb. 3 at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. The Thunderbirds improve to 6-14 on the season and 4-7 in Western Athletic Conference Play, while the Vaqueros fall to 4-16 and 3-8 in WAC play.
HEAD COACH TRACY MASON SAYS
"Road wins are tough and I'm just really proud of our effort. They came together as a group and we had a lot of people make some huge plays on offense and defense."
T-BIRD TIDBITS
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Samantha Johnston scored a season-high 18 points to go along with a career-best nine rebounds.
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Daylani Ballena added 16 points, six rebounds, and a team-high seven assists.
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Alexa Lord recorded an impressive double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds while shooting an efficient 6-7 from the field.
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Ashley Banks was the fourth T-Bird to reach double-figure scoring, pouring in 11 points in addition to grabbing five rebounds.
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The Thunderbirds dominated the boards, winning the rebounding battle 48-40.
GAME RECAP
First Half
The two squads matched each other shot for shot to begin the game, as the score was tied at 7-7 early in the first quarter. The Vaqueros scored five of the next seven points to go up 12-9 with 3:47 on the clock. Then, the Thunderbirds responded with an 11-0 sprint highlighted by a pair of three pointers by Samantha Johnston. Southern Utah led 20-15 at the end of the first quarter.
UTRGV came out strong in the second period, using a 6-3 stretch to trim the 'Birds lead to only three, 23-21. Three T-Birds registered a field goal to fuel an 8-0 run to go up 31-21 with 4:15 left in the half. The two squads traded buckets as the Thunderbirds took a 37-29 lead at the break.
Second Half
Daylani Ballena drilled a jumper to push the Thunderbirds advantage back to double digits, 39-29, at the beginning of the third quarter. The Vaqueros fought back, using a 16-3 run to retake a 45-42 lead with 4:36 on the clock. However, SUU closed the quarter on a 7-0 run to hold a 49-45 advantage heading into the fourth.
The Thunderbirds relied on a balanced attack as they extended their lead to 58-51 with 5:10 remaining in the fourth period. UTRGV mounted a 11-3 comeback that pushed the Vaqueros in front 62-61 with only 16 seconds remaining. Ballena was fouled on a shot attempt with five seconds on the clock and split a pair of free throws to tie the game at 62-62. The Vaqueros missed an attempt at the buzzer at the end of regulation, setting up an overtime period.
Overtime
Alexa Lord added a point from the charity stripe to give SUU a 63-62 advantage with 4:20 remaining. Ballena raced to the rim for a layup with just under three minutes to play to push SUU in front 65-62. After the Vaqueros drained a three pointer to tie the game, Ballena earned a trip to the foul line where she gave the Thunderbirds a 66-65 advantage with 1:40 to play.
Lord came up huge for the Thunderbirds defensively down the stretch, drawing an offensive foul on the Vaqueros to return the ball to SUU with 37 seconds on the clock. On the ensuing possession, Johnston was fouled and knocked down both shots at the charity stripe for SUU. The Vaqueros attempted a three pointer to tie the game in the waning seconds, but the Thunderbirds got the stop to earn a 68-65 road victory.
NOTABLE PLAYS
UP NEXT
Southern Utah will return to the America First Event Center on Thursday, Feb. 8 as the Thunderbirds host in-state rival Utah Tech. The game is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. MT.
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