The Southern Utah University women’s basketball team will finish off the 2023-24 regular season at home this week. First, they will battle Stephen F. Austin State University on Thursday, March 7, at 6:30 p.m., and for the regular season finale, Southern Utah will take on the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on Saturday, March 9, at 2 p.m. Both games can be streamed on ESPN+.
“These two games are extremely important. We have to be prepared, motivated and hungry,” said head coach Tracy Mason. “I hope this community can come out and support our two seniors this Saturday. [Megan Smith] and [Alexa Lord] have been such a huge part of this program.”
Stephen F. Austin
The Lumberjacks enter this matchup 19-10 overall and 13-5 in the Western Athletic Conference. SFA has already secured themselves a spot in the WAC Tournament. In their last game against Southern Utah, Stephen F. Austin won 68-53 behind senior center Kurstyn Harden’s 21 points and 10 rebounds. The Lumberjacks rank No. 2 in the conference in scoring, averaging 76.6 points per game.
Stephen F. Austin is led by a strong 1-2 punch in Harden and senior guard Destini Lombard. In SFA’s latest win over Grand Canyon University, they combined for 41 points on 15/25 shooting. Harden is third in the WAC in double-doubles with seven while dropping 16.8 points per game. Lombard leads SFA in total assists with 116.
UTRGV
Everything will be on the line for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley when they travel to Cedar City to face Southern Utah. UTRGV is 6-21 overall and 5-13 in the WAC. With the final spot open for the WAC tournament in Las Vegas, it could easily come down to either SUU or UTRGV. In their last meeting, the Vaqueros fell short to the Thunderbirds 68-65 in overtime.
Junior leading scorer Iyana Dorsey is pouring in 12.9 points per game, but she struggled the last time she faced SUU. Dorsey played only five minutes and was held scoreless, shooting 0/2 from the field, including 0/1 from three. If the Vaqueros want to play in Las Vegas in the WAC Tournament, they will need Dorsey to have a better game.
Southern Utah
February was not a good month for Southern Utah, as the Thunderbirds went just 2-6 with a -11.87 average point differential. SUU currently sits at 7-20 overall and 5-13 in the WAC, good enough to be tied for eighth with UTRGV. As a team, Southern Utah has statistically been one of the worst defensive teams in the WAC, allowing teams to score at a rate of 74.4 points per game.
Senior guard Daylani Ballena and freshman forward Ava Uhrich have continued to play at a high level. Uhrich leads all freshmen in the conference in field goal percentage and is No. 10 in scoring. Ballena is fifth in the conference in points per game and leads the Thunderbirds in total assists with 98.
Saturday’s game against UTRGV will be senior night for SUU.
Author: Jack Paul
Photographer: Anden Garfield
Editor: Anden Garfield
sports@suunews.net
