CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah women's basketball team controlled the glass from the opening tip, pulling down a program-record 75 rebounds in an 87-31 win over Redlands to open the 2026-27 season on Nov. 2 at the America First Event Center. The Thunderbirds move to 1-0.
The 75 boards broke the single-game mark of 74, set against Arizona Christian in 2013. Senior Brooklyn Fely set the pace with a career-high 19 rebounds, tied for ninth on SUU's single-game list, and the bench added to the haul. Redshirt sophomore Emily Scholtes grabbed a career-best nine, and sophomore Vallory Kuelker pulled down six, also a career high, to go with a career-high four assists.
Top T-Birds
- Freshman Diana Sorrondo needed just 11 minutes off the bench to lead all scorers in her Southern Utah debut, going 6-of-9 from the field and 5-of-5 at the line for 17 points to go with seven rebounds, six on the offensive end.
- Senior Brooklyn Fely cleared a career-high 19 rebounds, 16 on the defensive end, and added 14 points and a career-high-tying five assists for a double-double.
- Senior Ava Uhrich put up a double-double of her own with 16 points and 11 rebounds, adding four assists and two blocks.
Head Coach Tracy Mason Said:
Game Recap
First Half
The Thunderbirds scored the first 12 points of the season, and Redlands did not get on the board until a free throw at the 5:36 mark of the first quarter. Ava Uhrich opened the night with a jumper, and Melicia Nelson, Denver Anderson and Kortney Doman each followed with a layup, two of them in transition. Uhrich, Diana Sorrondo and Anderson then strung together three straight paint baskets to make it 18-1, and SUU led 18-4 after one.
Redlands opened the second quarter with a jumper, and Brooklyn Fely answered with back-to-back layups. Anderson and Uhrich pushed the margin to 26-8 by the 7:24 mark, and Sorrondo took it from there, scoring nine of her 11 first-half points over the final 5:04, including a three-point play at 1:52. A Bella Hasan free throw made it 36-12, the largest lead of the half, and Southern Utah went to the locker room up 38-17. Alex Facelo's three was the Bulldogs' only make from deep in the half.
SUU shot 48.6 percent (17-of-35) in the half, held a 38-15 edge on the boards and scored 32 of its 38 points in the paint. Redlands managed 5-of-37 shooting (13.5 percent) and turned 13 Thunderbird turnovers into seven points.
Second Half
The Thunderbirds came out of the break with a 10-0 run. Anderson added back-to-back layups, and Uhrich scored six points in the burst, capping it with a fast-break layup at 7:33 that made it 48-17. Olivia McIntyre and Aliyah Anderson answered for Redlands with a jumper and a three, but Sorrondo scored six more points in the quarter, and Vallory Kuelker sank three free throws in the final 18 seconds to send SUU into the fourth up 63-28.
Fely did her damage inside in the fourth, scoring eight of her 14 points on four layups, and Charli Kay knocked down SUU's only three-pointer of the night at 6:54 to make it 75-30. Redlands went 1-of-15 from the floor in the period. Monica Villanueva's layup at 8:59 was the Bulldogs' last field goal, and an AJ Wick free throw at 6:11 was their last point. Southern Utah closed on a 12-0 run, and Emily Scholtes, who scored five points in the run, sealed the 87-31 final with two free throws with 20 seconds left.
Southern Utah shot 50.7 percent (36-of-71), won the rebounding battle 75-27 and outscored the Bulldogs 66-6 in the paint. Junior Denver Anderson chipped in 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting, and the bench accounted for 37. Redlands finished at 13.2 percent (9-of-68) and 2-of-21 from three. Turnovers were the Thunderbirds' only blemish; they gave it away 21 times, and Redlands turned those into 12 points.
Highlights
Tickets
Single-game and season tickets for the upcoming Southern Utah Women's Basketball season are now available. Get yours today by visiting tbirdtickets.com.
Follow Us
Stay up to date on the Thunderbirds Women's Basketball program by following @SUUWBasketball on Twitter and Instagram and liking the Southern Utah Women's Basketball page on Facebook.
Donate
To help support Thunderbirds athletics, consider donating today! To learn more about how you can support, click here.
