CEDAR CITY, Utah - A tough 82-54 road loss to Abilene Christian University drops the Southern Utah women's basketball team to a 3-3 Western Athletic Conference record after a 3-0 start. The Jan. 17 matchup bumped the Thunderbirds to a 11-7 overall record, while the rolling Wildcats rose to 5-1 in the conference and 14-5 overall.
Head Coach Tracy Mason Said:
"I thought we completed the first quarter. We got into foul trouble early in the second and had to sit three starters and it definitely killed our momentum. We struggled against their press, and had way too many turnovers. We've definitely got to clean that up."
Top T-Birds
- Junior Brooklyn Fely was a bright spot for the struggling Thunderbirds team, loading up 18 points on 63.6% shooting from the field. She added eight rebounds and two blocks on the afternoon.
- Tying Fely's team-high eight rebounds, sophomore Kortney Doman also contributed four assists and three steals.
- Sophomore Bella Hasan played a well-rounded game off the bench, adding four points, three assists, and two rebounds.
Game Recap
First Half
To open the game, the Thunderbirds exchanged blows with the Wildcats, keeping it to a one-score game nearly the entire quarter. Fely's nine-point first quarter contributed to an 18-17 Southern Utah lead going into the second.
Abilene Christian pieced together a brief run, jumping to a six-point lead, but SUU continued battling, with layups from sophomore Bella Hasan and junior Ava Uhrich keeping the Thunderbirds in range. Senior Ashley Banks strung together a chunk of impressive defensive plays, but Southern Utah couldn't hold up as the Wildcats burst to a 41-29 advantage before the half.
Second Half
A 14-3 ACU run tipped off the second half, forcing a Thunderbirds timeout. Fely scored the lone SUU field goal of the quarter, but her team shot a solid 80% from the charity stripe for a 64-39 game.
The fourth quarter proved to be more of the same struggles for Southern Utah, as Abilene Christian opened a 9-2 run. Junior Morgan Trigueiro sank a pair of late triples, but the 82-54 game was already far out of reach.
Highlights
Up Next
Southern Utah will tackle its first rematch with Utah Valley University on the road in Orem, Utah on Thursday, January 22 at 6:00 p.m. The game can be viewed live on ESPN+.
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