After a week of rest, the Southern Utah University women’s basketball team is set to face the Stephen F. Austin State University Lumberjacks in a Western Athletic Conference bout. The Thunderbirds will travel to Nacogdoches, Texas, and play the Lumberjacks at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 13. It can be streamed on ESPN+.
Stephen F. Austin
SFA has started off strong in the WAC with a 4-1 conference record after their 76-67 win against Utah Tech University. The Lumberjacks’ offense is headed by Kurstyn Harden, whose 15.9 points per game places her top-four in scoring for the conference.
Kyla Deck and Destini Lombard are pesky defenders with an average of 2.9 and 2.4 steals per game, respectively. The guards follow Harden in the points category. Deck scores 11.9 points per game, and Lombard trails close with an average of 11.1 points per game.
The Lumberjacks’ 76.73 points per game are at the top of the WAC for scoring offenses, ranking them 47th in the country. This has helped SFA outscore their opponents by 8.07 points per game.
Stephen F. Austin’s high-powered offense will be a lot for an injured Southern Utah team. One place where the Thunderbirds can attack the Lumberjacks is from beyond the arc, since even with the presence of Deck and Lombard on the perimeter, SFA allows their opponents to shoot 31.7% from the three-point line.
Southern Utah
The Thunderbirds are fresh off a victory against the Utah Valley University Wolverines without starting center Megan Smith and her backup Ashley Banks. With all of their bigs out, freshman standout Ava Uhrich has stepped in as the paint presence for Southern Utah. Uhrich led the Thunderbirds with 18 points and 13 rebounds against Utah Valley in 25 minutes of play.
Throughout the season, Uhrich has averaged 12.6 points and 7.2 rebounds while making 36.4% of her attempts from beyond the arc. Her rebounds and three-point percentage are team highs for Southern Utah.
Senior guards Samantha Johnston and Daylani Ballena struggled to start the year but found their rhythm against the Wolverines. Ballena scored 16 points and dished out eight assists, while Johnston went 4-7 from three and hauled in seven rebounds. Southern Utah will need another game like that from their veteran guards if Smith and Banks are unable to play on Saturday.
Author: Chevy Blackburn
Photographer: Anden Garfield
Editor: Anden Garfield
sports@suunews.net
