CEDAR CITY, Utah - After scoring only 11 points in the first half against Utah Valley University, the Southern Utah University Women's Basketball team put up 25 fourth-quarter points in a comeback effort that barely fell short, 53-48. A loss in the March 1 senior night showdown drops SUU to 8-20 overall with a 6-9 Western Athletic Conference record. UVU jumps to 16-10 with an 8-6 conference record.
Top T-Birds
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Sydney Gandy played the full 40 minutes and led the Thunderbirds with 13 points and three assists.
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Jaeden Brown performed well in the paint, recording 10 rebounds and five blocks.
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In another strong game off the bench, Sierra Chambers scored nine points, shooting a perfect four-for-four from the charity stripe.
Head Coach Tracy Mason Said:
Game Recap
First Half
In stark contrast to their last matchup, Southern Utah and Utah Valley started with a defensive first quarter. SUU's only points came on two scores from Lexi Bull and a jumper from Gandy, but they held the Wolverines to only 10 points in a 10-6 battle.
UVU pulled away in the beginning of the second, but a strong driving layup from Gandy and a sneaky dish to Brown made it a five-point game. However, the Thunderbirds struggled the rest of the quarter, allowing a 10-0 run from Utah Valley to make it 26-11 at the halftime break.
Second Half
A speedy layup from Ava Uhrich snapped Southern Utah's scoreless streak before scores from Gandy and Bull cut into the Wolverine lead. SUU's offensive sparks couldn't start a fire as UVU continued to pull away. A triple from Sierra Chambers closed out the quarter, but the Thunderbirds had work to do down 40-23.
Southern Utah flipped the game on its head to open the fourth, with Gandy, Samantha Johnston, and Daylani Ballena sinking threes to cut the game to a single-digit deficit. With the clock ticking under two minutes, Chambers and Ballena each added scores to jump to a four-point game. Despite multiple scores from Gandy with less than 30 seconds on the clock, Utah Valley's final free throws secured them a 53-48 win.
Highlights
Up Next
The Thunderbirds will hit the road for their final regular season game against the Seattle U Redhawks on Thursday, March 6 at 7:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
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Gallery: (3-1-2025) WBB vs. UVU
