CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah women's basketball team can work their way into the second seed for the Western Athletic Conference if they can earn a win in their Sunday, Feb. 22, matchup against Abilene Christian at 2:00 p.m. The high-stakes contest will be the Thunderbirds' final home game of the 2025-2026 season, and will feature senior day recognition for Ashley Banks.
Banks is the youthful program's lone graduating member, and has made an incredible impact on the team throughout four years in Cedar City. With 80 blocks, she is eighth on the SUU career leaderboard, and she has plenty of season left to continue adding to her totals.
Head Coach Tracy Mason said:
"Sunday's game is huge for us. It's our last home game, and ACU is one of the best teams in the WAC. We need to be locked in and ready to compete for 40 mins if we want a chance to move up in the standings."
Game Details
Who: Southern Utah (18-8, 10-4 WAC) vs Abilene Christian (19-7, 10-3 WAC)
When: Sunday, February 22, at 2:00 p.m.
Where: America First Event Center
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: HERE
Matchup History
- Neither Southern Utah nor Abilene Christian has ever defeated the home team in their history of playing each other. SUU has won all three of their home games, and ACU has won all four of theirs.
- The Thunderbirds struggled in their road matchup against the Wildcats earlier this year, dropping an 82-54 game. Junior Brooklyn Fely led the team with 18 points and eight rebounds.
- Southern Utah turned things around at home with a thrilling 71-68 win. Fely took things to the next level in the second game of the series with an outstanding 26-point, 17-rebound double-double.
The Thunderbirds
With a California Baptist loss last Wednesday, Southern Utah is in extremely close contention for a WAC regular season championship. If the Thunderbirds win the rest of their regular season games, they will hold possession of the top spot in the conference, along with a first-round bye in the tournament. SUU enters their matchup on a three-game winning streak.
Their success is, in large part, due to a high-scoring offense that puts up a WAC-high 73.5 points per game. Southern Utah also leads the conference in rebounds per game with 42.2 and three-point field goal accuracy at 33.1%.
Currently, the Thunderbirds' top three scorers — sophomore Sierra Chambers (15.1 PPG), junior Ava Uhrich (13.9 PPG), and junior Brooklyn Fely (12.8 PPG) — each stand in the WAC's top ten. Uhrich leads the conference in rebounding with 9.7 boards per game, while Fely ranks third with an average of 8.7.
Scouting Report
Abilene Christian Wildcats
The 19-7 Wildcats hold a 10-3 conference record, which ties SUU for wins even though they've played one less game. After defeating Tarleton State on Valentine's Day, ACU rides a two-game winning streak and a long rest week into their game with the Thunderbirds.
The Wildcats have been very strong on both sides of the ball. Their offense is right on Southern Utah's tail with 73.1 points per game, and they boast the strongest defense in the WAC. They hold opponents to an average of only 58.9 points.
With 18.8 points per game, junior Payton Hull has earned a consistent home as the WAC's top scorer. Two other Wildcats average more than 14 points per game, creating a dangerous attack for SUU to defend.
Tickets
Season tickets, mini packages, and single-game tickets are now available! Get yours today by visiting tbirdtickets.com.
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