STEPHENVILLE, Texas - The Southern Utah women's basketball team struggled to fend off Tarleton State's comeback effort in a 59-57 road loss on Feb. 7. Southern Utah drops to 7-4 in the Western Athletic Conference and 15-8 overall, while the Texans rise to 12-11 overall with an even 6-6 WAC record.
Head Coach Tracy Mason Said:
"We needed more people to step up today. Tarleton is a good team and you can't let a team like that get going. I thought Devyn had a really good game, and Ash was a spark for us off the bench, but we gave up way too many offensive rebounds and paint scores."
Top T-Birds
- Freshman Devyn Kiernan had her strongest game of WAC play, tallying 16 points and shooting 60% from the three-point line.
- With 14 points, sophomore Sierra Chambers played a well-rounded game. She chipped in four rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
- Juniors Brooklyn Fely and Ava Uhrich each recorded a team-high eight rebounds for the Thunderbirds.
Game Recap
First Half
Southern Utah tipped off to a blistering start on both sides of the ball, opening an outstanding 14-3 run capped by a speedy and-one layup from sophomore Kortney Doman. Senior Ashley Banks added in a pair of baskets before Kiernan drained a triple to put her team up 22-10 at the end of one.
Kiernan carried her momentum into the start of the second quarter, adding another three-pointer and an and-one play to push to an 18-point lead. However, the Texans cobbled together an 11-2 run to cut it back to a single-digit game. Tarleton kept their streak rolling to enter the halftime break down only 32-28.
Second Half
Trying to get the Thunderbirds back to first-quarter form, Chambers sprinted coast-to-coast for an and-one basket and a nine-point lead, but the Texans' defense quickly stiffened up. Tarleton gradually chipped away at Southern Utah's advantage, eventually snatching the lead for themselves at 44-40 with a quarter to go.
The Texans burst ahead in the fourth, but Kiernan caught fire once again, adding a pair of free-throws and a three-pointer to boost SUU to a one-score game. After the teams exchanged blows for several minutes, Chambers scored on back-to-back possessions to earn a 55-54 lead.
A layup from Tarleton retook the lead, forcing Southern Utah to start sending the Texans to the charity stripe, but the ball landed in the hands of the Thunderbirds down 59-57 with just under eight seconds left. They couldn't cash in on an inside layup from Chambers, leaving them empty-handed in a frustrating loss.
Highlights
Up Next
Southern Utah will suit up for another exciting road rematch on Thursday, Feb. 12 against California Baptist University at 7:00 p.m. The game will be held in the Dale E. and Sarah Ann Fowler Events Center and can be viewed live on ESPN+.
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