During Southern Utah University’s spring break, the athletes will continue to play their respective sports.
Women’s basketball
The Thunderbirds, currently sitting with a 7-18 overall record, will play against two Texas foes. The first matchup will be against Abilene Christian University on Thursday, Feb. 29, at 5 p.m. before they battle Tarleton State University on Saturday, March 2, at 1 p.m.
SUU’s Daylani Ballena has posted an impressive senior season, averaging 15.5 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game on 40% from the floor and just under 30% from three. Freshman Ava Uhrich has exceeded expectations, totaling 13.1 points and a team-leading 7.3 rebounds per game.
Men’s basketball
The men’s team enters the week with an overall record of 9-18 after losing five in a row. They’ll be home for two games, the first being on Thursday, Feb. 29, against Abilene Christian at 6:30 p.m. After that, they’ll welcome in Tarleton State on Saturday, March 2, at 6:30 p.m.
Former University of Idaho Vandal Dominique Ford leads SUU in scoring this season, averaging 16.7 points on 44% shooting. He also adds 4.1 rebounds and just under two assists per game.
Gymnastics
The Flippin’ Birds are set to match up with top 30-ranked opponents. They’ll welcome in No. 29 Iowa State University on Monday, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m. Southern Utah will then get a rematch with No. 24 Brigham Young University in Provo on Friday, March 1, at 7 p.m.
The Flippin’ Birds currently rank No. 36 with an average score of 195.693.
Women’s golf
Fresh off a sixth-place finish at the Utah Tech Trailblazer Invitational, the women’s golf team will head to Phoenix to compete in the Grand Canyon University Invitational. The match will start on Tuesday, Feb. 27, at the GCU golf course.
Softball
The softball team is coming off a 1-4 performance in the University of Nevada Las Vegas Classic. At 7-8 overall, they have had their best start to a season in three years. They are now heading to the University of California Riverside Tournament, where they will take on UC Riverside and the University of Nevada.
The Thunderbirds have four batters hitting over .300, including their top power hitter Ariyana Miranda. Miranda has hit six home runs so far with 14 runs batted in, leading the team in both categories. The pitching staff currently has an earned run average of 6.38 and will look to cut that down in the tournament.
Authors: Brig Pyfer and Anden Garfield
Photographer: Anden Garfield
Editor: Anden Garfield
sports@suunews.net
