CEDAR CITY, Utah - Samantha Johnston scored a career-high 24 points as the Southern Utah University women's basketball team fell to in-state rival Utah Tech 87-77 on Thursday, Feb. 8 at the America First Event Center. The Thunderbirds move to 6-15 overall and 4-8 in Western Athletic Conference play, while the Trailblazers improve to 14-9 and 8-4 in conference play.
HEAD COACH TRACY MASON SAYS
"We had our opportunities in this game. We could get it close and then we would give up a basket or two and we just never could seem to close the gap."
Link to Full Post-Game Interview
T-BIRD TIDBITS
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Samantha Johnston scored a career-high 24 points on 9-17 shooting from the field, including six makes from behind the arc.
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Daylani Ballena fueled the Thunderbirds' offense with 19 points and four assists.
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Ava Uhrich was the third T-Bird to reach double-figure scoring, totaling 18 points on 8-15 shooting.
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Alexa Lord pulled down a team-best 10 rebounds to go along with six points.
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The Thunderbirds recorded 16 assists tonight, compared to only 10 by the Trailblazers.
GAME RECAP
First Half
The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair. After the Trailblazers jumped out to a 10-2 advantage to begin the game, the Thunderbirds responded with a 6-0 spurt to get within two, 10-8, with 4:51 on the clock. Utah Tech used a 12-5 sprint to take a 22-13 lead at the end of the first quarter of play.
The Trailblazers scored the first five points of the second quarter as they extended their lead to 27-13 with 9:01 on the clock. Samantha Johnston and Ava Uhrich combined to power a 9-0 run to cut the lead to 27-22 midway through the period. The two teams traded baskets to end the half as the Trailblazers led 44-36 at the break.
Second Half
The Thunderbirds relied on a balanced scoring attack to start the second half, with five T-Birds registering a point in the third period. Southern Utah managed to cut the lead to five, 61-56, late in the third, but Utah Tech hit a pair of three pointers to jump in front 67-56 heading into the fourth quarter.
Johnston led the attack in the final period as she poured in 12 points to fuel the 'Birds comeback attempt. Southern Utah fought back to trim Utah Tech's lead to 81-77 with 41 seconds on the clock, but that was as close as they would get as the Trailblazers would go on to claim a 87-77 victory.
NOTABLE PLAYS
UP NEXT
The Thunderbirds are set to host Grand Canyon on Saturday, Feb. 10 at the America First Event Center. The game is scheduled to begin at 2 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.
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