The Southern Utah University women’s basketball team lost against the Lopes of Grand Canyon University, dropping the Thunderbirds’ overall record to 6-16 and 4-9 in the Western Athletic Conference.
First quarter
Southern Utah started the game off slow and went down 8-0 until Ashley Banks finished a layup assisted by Alexa Lord to put the Thunderbirds on the board. Grand Canyon continued to build upon their lead with help from Trinity San Antonio and Olivia Lane, who scored four points each in the first quarter.
One thing that hurt SUU was their five turnovers, but they were able to out rebound the Lopes, and it helped them stay in the game. However, Grand Canyon held a sizable 14-5 lead by the end of the quarter.
Second quarter
Samantha Johnston drained a three to start, which sparked a 7-4 scoring run for the Thunderbirds. But GCU found their rhythm, and the two squads went basket for basket. By the four-minute mark, the Lopes had maintained a 24-16 lead over the Thunderbirds.
The quarter was filled with back-and-forth scoring action, and every time SUU got within five or six points of GCU, the Lopes answered back with a run of their own. Shilo Isono gave head coach Tracy Mason a great spark off the bench. She scored seven points and forced one turnover.
Southern Utah was within six points with less than 10 seconds left in the first half until Tiarra Brown went to the basket and scored an and-one play. She knocked down the free throw and gave the Lopes a 32-23 lead heading into the locker room.
Third quarter
Grand Canyon got the scoring going and took the largest lead of the night, up 11 points. Banks helped keep the Thunderbirds within range with her scoring and rebounding, allowing SUU second-chance opportunities.
Southern Utah closed the gap to 36-30 with about six minutes left, but again, the Lopes pulled away before the four-minute mark and held a nine-point lead. GCU and SUU continued to match each other.
San Antonio, Lane, Brown and Nadia Evans did a great job contributing to the lead on offense and defense. The Lopes created multiple turnovers and scored easy transition buckets, which helped them separate from SUU.
The Thunderbirds put together a late run with well-distributed scoring from Isono, Banks and a five-point spark by freshman Charli Kay. Southern Utah’s run put them within seven points, and the score was 51-44 entering the final period.
Fourth quarter
GCU locked in and went on a 15-5 run led by Laura Erikstrup, who contributed six points during that scoring outbreak from the Lopes. But SUU wasn’t done. With less than four minutes left, Daylani Ballena hit back-to-back three-pointers to close the gap and bring the score to 66-55.
This resulted in a timeout from GCU head coach Molly Miller. After the break, Banks completed a three-point play at the charity stripe. With less than two minutes left and an eight-point deficit, SUU started to foul GCU to stop the clock intentionally.
Unfortunately for Southern Utah, the late-game run was put to rest as GCU went 8-8 from the free-throw line. The Lopes closed the game with an 11-3 run and came away with a 77-66 victory over the Thunderbirds.
Key contributors
— Banks finished with 15 points and nine rebounds.
— Isono scored 10 points and forced two turnovers off the bench.
— Ballena hit pivotal three-pointers down the stretch and finished with 14 points.
Deciding factors
— Grand Canyon forced 16 turnovers and only had eight surrendered.
— Southern Utah struggled from the free-throw line and went 12-19 (63.2%).
Up next
Southern Utah will travel to face the Seattle University Redhawks on Thursday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m. The game will be available on ESPN+.
Author: Chevy Blackburn
Photographer: Anden Garfield
Editor: Anden Garfield
sports@suunews.net
