PHOENIX, Ariz. - The Southern Utah University women's basketball team couldn't upset a strong Grand Canyon University team, falling 79-51 on Jan. 23. The Thunderbirds now stand at 3-15, with a 1-4 record in the Western Athletic Conference, while the Lopes extend their winning streak to 16, holding an 18-2 overall record and a spotless 5-0 conference record.
Head Coach Tracy Mason Said:
"We struggled to handle their pressure and had way too many turnovers. We knew transition points were going to be key and live ball turnovers become transition points for a team like GCU."
Top T-Birds
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Daylani Ballena led the Thunderbirds in scoring with 13 points on 57% shooting from the field.
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Leading the team in boards with six, Lexi Bull also chipped in seven points.
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Sydney Gandy racked up four assists and eight points.
Game Recap
First Half
Opening the first quarter, GCU burst ahead to an early 11-2 run, but triples from Sydney Gandy and Ava Uhrich finally stunted the Lopes' momentum, cutting their lead to three. After Grand Canyon made another effort to pull away, strong shooting from Daylani Ballena led the Thunderbirds to an 8-2 run to close the period down 25-20.
Samantha Johnston continued Southern Utah's early three-point accuracy with two more threes, but the second quarter proved mostly fruitless as GCU extended to a 46-28 lead.
Second Half
Lexi Bull took over after the halftime break, scoring back-to-back layups out of the gate, but the Lopes continued to pull out of reach, leading 57-39 with one quarter left.
After the offense started slow in the fourth quarter, SUU's younger Thunderbirds saw valuable minutes on the court. Although Grand Canyon's onslaught of scoring stayed consistent, Southern Utah finally found points on offense from Charli Kay, Olivia Malafu, and Denver Anderson.
Highlights
Up Next
The Thunderbirds will continue on the road to face Cal Baptist University in Riverside, Calif. on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 2:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
Tickets
Season tickets, mini packages, and single-game tickets are now available! Get yours today by visiting tbirdtickets.com.
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