CEDAR CITY, Utah - Ava Uhrich scored 20 points to lead the Southern Utah University women's basketball team to victory against the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley 65-52 on Saturday afternoon at the America First Event Center. With the win, SUU earns a berth in the 2024 Western Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament next week in Las Vegas. The Thunderbirds improve to 8-21 overall and 6-14 in WAC play, while the Vaqueros finish their season with a 6-23 record and a 5-15 effort in conference play.
HEAD COACH TRACY MASON SAYS
"I'm just super proud of this team. We knew what was on the line today and we took care of business. I think it was a special night for Lex and she definitely deserved this win."
T-BIRD TIDBITS
-
The Thunderbirds won the rebounding war 38-35.
-
The 'Birds collected seven steals compared to only two for the Vaqueros.
-
Southern Utah forced 13 turnovers while only committing four.
-
All seven players to check in for SUU registered a field goal.
TOP T-BIRDS
-
Ava Uhrich powered the 'Birds attack with 20 points on 9-13 shooting from the field to go along with a team-best nine rebounds.
-
Daylani Ballena (14), Samantha Johnston (14) and Shiho Isono (11) all scored over 10 points.
-
Johnston totaled five assists to lead the team, while Ballena was close behind with four.
GAME RECAP
First Half
The two teams traded baskets to start the game as the score was tied at 5-5 with 7:23 on the clock. After the Vaqueros scored the next five points to go up 10-5, Shiho Isono sparked a 10-0 burst to push SUU ahead 15-10 at the end of the first.
UTRGV used an 8-3 run to tie the game at 18 points apiece with 7:28 remaining in the second period. Four T-Birds added a bucket as Southern Utah outscored the Vaqueros 10-9 the rest of the way to take a 28-27 lead at the break.
Second Half
Southern Utah came out hot to begin the second half, scoring six consecutive points to go up 34-27 with 7:20 left in the third quarter. The Vaqueros earned two trips to the foul line on the following possessions, connecting on three free throws to get within four, 34-30. Then, Samantha Johnston knocked down a pair of three pointers to spark an 8-3 run to give SUU a 42-33 advantage midway through the period. Ava Uhrich poured in seven of the next nine points for the Thunderbirds as the team went up by double digits, 51-40, at the 1:04 mark. Southern Utah led 51-44 heading into the final period of play.
The Thunderbirds relied on a balanced attack in the fourth quarter, with Uhrich and Ballena each adding four points as Southern Utah outscored the Vaqueros 14-8 in the period to claim a decisive 65-52 victory over UTRGV.
NOTABLE PLAYS
UP NEXT
Southern Utah will travel to Las Vegas, Nevada next week for the 2024 Western Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament which will take place from Mar. 13-16. Stay tuned for official tournament seedings and matchups which will be announced on Sunday.
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.
