The Southern Utah University basketball teams will host two games to finish off the week. The women’s team will welcome the Lumberjacks of Northern Arizona University on Thursday, Dec. 21, at 2 p.m., while the men will take on the Middle Tennessee State University Blue Raiders on Friday, Dec. 22, at 6:30 p.m. Children K-12 can get into the America First Event Center for free, but both games can also be streamed on ESPN+.
Women’s
The Lumberjacks, currently on a three-game winning streak, will enter the afternoon contest with a 7-3 record. Not only are they at the top of the Big Sky Conference standings, they are the top offense in the conference with their 75.4 points per game. That being said, they also allow more points than any other Big Sky team with 69.7.
NAU’s leading scorer is sophomore Sophie Glancey. She has averaged 12.7 points per game to accompany her 54.2% field goal percentage, good for second best in the conference. Following close behind her is Emily Rodabaugh with 11.4 points per game and a three-point percentage of 37.7%. Rodabaugh is second in the Big Sky in three-pointers made with 23.
With their 16.6 assists per game, Northern Arizona is one of the better passing teams in the NCAA and falls just short of the top 50 teams in the category. Senior guard Grace Beasley, coming off a week where she earned Big Sky Co-Player of the Week honors, leads the Lumberjacks with 33 total assists throughout their 10 games.
Despite reaching the March Madness tournament last year, Southern Utah has had a rather tough start to the season. Now sitting at 3-6, they will look to get some positive momentum going as 2024 approaches.
The Thunderbirds have had a few bright spots so far regardless of the early struggles. Megan Smith and Daylani Ballena are both in the top nine players in the Western Athletic Conference when it comes to points per game with 16.8 and 15, respectively. Smith is on her way to the best season of her career, already having surpassed her highest-scoring game ever when she put up 30 points against the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Freshman Ava Uhrich has also been a stand-out player for SUU. She earned her place on the starting lineup after just two appearances in Thunderbird red and now averages 12 points and six rebounds per game. Uhrich can score both inside and outside, as she has found success in the paint while also shooting a team-leading 39.1% from three-point range.
As former conference rivals, the Lumberjacks and Thunderbirds have competed against each other 21 times in the past. NAU leads the series 12-9, but SUU has gone 6-4 against them when playing in Cedar City.
Men’s
Middle Tennessee has lost two games straight, including a tough 71-34 defeat to Saint Mary’s College earlier this week. At 5-7, they are currently sixth in the Conference USA standings. Their 63.4 points per game make them the worst offense in C-USA, heavily due to their 39.5% team field goal percentage.
The Blue Raiders have just one active player averaging double-digit points in Elias King, whose 12.8 points per game are good for No. 9 in the conference. King is a strong shooter overall with a 40.1% field goal percentage and 28 three-pointers made, including six in the team’s overtime win against Missouri State University.
In addition to their scoring troubles, MTSU sits last in C-USA in assists per game and turnover margin. There are no active players on the roster with more than two assists per game, and their starting center Jared Coleman-Jones has twice as many turnovers as he does assists.
Southern Utah is also entering Friday with a two-game losing streak, but both were just one-score losses. Their 3-8 record doesn’t quite reflect the strength of the team, as they managed to give the University of Utah, an 8-2 Power Five team, a run for their money when they fell by just two points earlier this month.
The Thunderbirds are the second highest-scoring team in the WAC with their 77.3 points per game, but it is the defensive side that eats them up. They allow 78.5 points per game, making them the second-worst defensive team in the conference. Sophomore Parsa Fallah is having quite a breakout season, ranking 10th in the WAC in points per game with 13.5 and first in field goal percentage with 57.3%. His efficient shooting is just shy of the NCAA’s top 50. Fallah has also provided SUU’s only double-double performance of the season so far.
Leading the scoring for Southern Utah, though, is Dominique Ford with his 15.8 points per game. His 38.5% three-point percentage makes him the strongest long-range shooter on the team, and his 25 three-pointers made give him the second most in the WAC.
The Blue Raiders and Thunderbirds have never faced off against each other, but ESPN favors Southern Utah with a 68.2% chance of victory.
Author: Anden Garfield
Photographer: Anden Garfield
sports@suunews.net
