CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah women's basketball team suffered its first home loss of the year in a devastating overtime thriller against California Baptist on Jan. 10. SUU drops to 11-5 with a 3-1 Western Athletic Conference record, while CBU extends to a whopping 5-0 conference record and 11-7 overall.
Top T-Birds
- Junior Ava Uhrich continued her dominant campaign with her seventh double-double of the season, tying her career-high 17 rebounds and pouring in 19 points.
- Reaching 20 points for the third time this season, sophomore Sierra Chambers racked up a career-high nine assists.
- Sophomore Kortney Doman further solidified herself as a crucial part of the Thunderbirds' defense, recording seven rebounds, two blocks, and two steals to go with her 11 points.
Head Coach Tracy Mason Said:
Game Recap
First Half
A three-pointer from sophomore Sierra Chambers opened a back-and-forth scoring clinic between the two undefeated teams. For nearly seven minutes, CBU and SUU exchanged a one-point lead back and forth. Junior Brooklyn Fely drained a crucial triple to keep it to a one-score game, down 20-19 at the close of the first quarter.
Sparked by a three from sophomore Denver Anderson, Southern Utah snatched the momentum with an outstanding 11-2 run. The Thunderbirds allowed only seven second-quarter points, heading into halftime with a 34-27 lead.
Second Half
California Baptist reestablished their offense in an early 11-0 run that boosted them in front, but a layup from Doman snapped the SUU drought and kept the Thunderbirds within a score. However, the efforts weren't enough to keep the Lancers from capturing a 52-46 lead.
With a fire underneath them in the fourth, Southern Utah's highest scorers stepped up in the fourth, with Chambers and Uhrich each capitalizing on "and-one" opportunities. Senior Ashley Banks knotted things up at 59-59 with a free throw, putting her team in position for a comeback.
As the clock ticked under a minute, the Thunderbirds trailed by only one. Doman answered with a momentous three-pointer, pushing to a one-score advantage. Southern Utah couldn't prevent CBU's Lauren Olsen from forcing overtime with only a second left at 69-69.
Overtime
SUU started the overtime period blow for blow with the Lancers thanks to buckets from Chambers and freshman Devyn Kiernan. Yet, the Lancers started to take control down the stretch, opening up their scoring and pulling away. A final triple from Kiernan wasn't enough to give the Thunderbirds a chance as they fell 82-77.
Highlights
Up Next
Southern Utah will look to get back on course on the road against the Tarleton State Texans on Thursday, Jan. 15, at 6:00 p.m. The game can be viewed live on ESPN+.
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