The Southern Utah University women’s basketball team traveled to take on in-state rival Utah Valley University on Saturday, Feb. 17. The Thunderbirds prevailed after playing two overtime periods, coming away with the 67-66 win.
First quarter
The Thunderbirds and the Wolverines opened the game with stellar defense. Neither team was able to gain a major edge on the other, shooting a combined 6/25 from the field and going scoreless during the final three minutes. Excellent defense from both sides made it an 11-7 ballgame at the end of the first.
Second quarter
The defensive effort and scoring continued, so neither team scored until three minutes in when UVU junior guard Ally Criddle went coast to coast to make it 11-9 in favor of the Thunderbirds. Utah Valley kept their offensive momentum by going on an 8-0 run.
Finding themselves down 17-13, the Thunderbirds went on a run of their own over the final four minutes, outscoring UVU 7-0 in that span. The run was capped off by graduate student Alexa Lord, who in the closing second hit a turnaround jumper to give Southern Utah the 20-17 lead going into halftime.
Third quarter
Offense improved for both teams, but unfortunately for the Thunderbirds, it was Utah Valley who got going first. Ten turnovers from SUU allowed the Wolverines to nearly triple their score from the first half, outscoring their opponents 28-11 and giving them a 45-31 lead.
Fourth quarter
The Thunderbirds needed to find an answer fast, and it came in the form of senior Samantha Johnston. Johnston shot 50% from beyond the arc this quarter, including the go-ahead three to tie the game up at 54 apiece with seven seconds left. Utah Valley couldn’t convert on their game-winning attempt, and the two teams entered overtime.
Overtime
Overtime was a back-and-forth defensive showcase with offense being hard to come by. The Wolverines struck first, scoring the first six points. Again the Thunderbirds played spoiler, their points coming from three separate and perfect trips to the free-throw line from Urich, Lord and senior Daylani Ballena. It tied the game up at 60, forcing another round of overtime.
In this second period of overtime, neither team was able to fully pull away from the other until Ballena took a quick pull-up jumper from just outside the paint. With only a minute remaining, it put the Thunderbirds up by three. Utah Valley scored on the ensuing possession, but they were only able to get a layup. Southern Utah held onto a nail-biting one-point lead that gave them the 67-66 win.
Key players
— Johnston finished the night with 20 points and a career-high five blocks for Southern Utah.
— Sophomore center Ashley Banks had four points for Southern Utah and career highs in both rebounds and blocks with 13 and four, respectively.
— Redshirt sophomore Tahlia White closed the game with 15 points, nine rebounds and five steals for the Wolverines.
Up next
The Thunderbirds will now set their sights on the University of Texas at Arlington in the America First Event Center. Tip-off for that game is set for 6:30 p.m., and play can be streamed on ESPN+ or KSUU Thunder 91.1.
Author: Aidan Mortensen
Photographer: Anden Garfield
Editor: Anden Garfield
sports@suunews.net
