PULLMAN, Wash. - Southern Utah lost to Washington State, 72-69, in a physical game that saw nearly fifty fouls called. The Thunderbirds fell to 2-2 with the loss, while the Cougars moved back up to .500.
Top T-Birds
- Senior Ava Uhrich led the team with 19 points and 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the season.
- Brooklyn Fely finished with 14 points on the night while shooting 4-5 from the free-throw line.
- Morgan Triguero scored 12 points in 11 minutes, shooting 5-10 from the field and 2-5 from deep.
- Kortney Doman scored eight points, going 6-for-6 from the charity stripe, in addition to four rebounds and two steals.
"I thought we played really hard. I think we did a great job executing the scout for a majority of the game. Foul trouble hurt us down the stretch, but I think we showed a lot of character tonight and I know we'll be better because of it."
Game Recap
First Half
The Thunderbirds found themselves behind early as Washington State scored the first five points of the game. Completely unfazed, Denver Anderson got Southern Utah on the board with a quick four points,, and Ava Uhrich buried a three in transition to knot the score at 7-7. A three-minute scoring drought for Southern Utah saw the Thunderbirds fall behind 16-9 before Ava Uhrich took over in the final minute, scoring the last four points of the quarter to cut the deficit to 16-13 heading into the second quarter.
Southern Utah's defense suffocated Washington State in the second quarter, allowing no points for the first eight minutes and holding the Cougars to 2-13 from the field. It was a total team effort for the Thunderbirds in the second as six different players scored and another six collected at least one rebound as Southern Utah built a 26-24 lead before the half.
Second Half
Southern Utah came out strong in the third quarter, with back-to-back hook shots by Brooklyn Fely helping the Thunderbirds extend their lead to 30-26. The Thunderbirds shot well in the third period, with the team mark of 43.75% from the field up more than 10 points from their first-half shooting mark. With the Southern Utah lead down to one at 38-37, Morgan Triguero checked in and immediately made her presence felt, scoring seven points in the last 4:07 of the quarter to give the Thunderbirds a 46-43 lead entering the final frame.
Triguero started the fourth quarter right where she left off, scoring Southern Utah's first five points of the final period to give the Thunderbirds a 51-49 lead. Ava Uhrich then scored seven of her nineteen points over the next four minutes as Southern Utah took a 62-60 lead into the final two minutes of the game.
Just inside two minutes remaining in the game, Washington State grabbed a critical offensive rebound and a Thunderbirds foul sent the Cougars to the line. Despite converting only one attempt, that lone point sparked a 7-0 run that gave Washington State a 67-62 lead with 38 seconds left on the clock. The Thunderbirds refused to quit, and Bella Hasan got a quick layup to cut the deficit to three with 21 seconds to go. After Washington State made both free throws at the other end, Brooklyn Fely came up clutch with a massive and-one after both Triguero and Uhrich missed three-point attempts, bringing the Thunderbirds within two. Ultimately, it was too little, too late as Washington State would convert two more free throws before winning the game 72-69.
Highlights
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