The 2023-24 regular season for the Southern Utah University women’s basketball team struggled in year two in the Western Athletic Conference. A year after winning the conference, Southern Utah finished 8-22 overall and lost in the first round of the WAC Tournament.
Despite the struggles, head coach Tracy Mason and the rest of the Thunderbird squad have a lot to look forward to here in year three in the WAC, with the help of a few new additions.
Notable matchups
— Southern Utah’s regular season opener is on Monday, Nov. 4 at 11 a.m. against the University of Utah in Salt lake City, Utah.
— Southern Utah’s home opener is on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 2 p.m. when they host the University of Idaho.
— The Thunderbirds will host the Grand Canyon University Lopes on Saturday, Jan. 4 at 2 p.m. for their conference opener.
Returners
Mason and the rest of the coaching staff will turn to three key returning players to help lead the T-Birds.
Guard Daylani Ballena is returning for her fifth year with SUU. Ballena was second on the team, averaging 15.4 points per game and first in assists, averaging 3.4 per contest. Ballena was named to the 2024-25 Preseason All-WAC Team.
Ava Uhrich was outstanding for Southern Utah in her freshman year. The forward from Burlingame, California made the WAC All-freshman team. Uhrich averaged 13.1 points per game on 46.6% shooting from the field and 33.7% from the three-point line.
Samantha Johnston will look to bring her leadership and experience to this team. The graduate student from Cedar City, Utah appeared in all 30 games for the Thunderbirds and led all players with 24 steals.
New additions
Southern Utah welcomes six new incoming freshmen for this upcoming season:
— Guard Kortney Doman from Crane, Oregon
— Guard Sierra Chambers from Danville, California
— Forward/Center Olivia Malafu from Kapa’a, Hawaii
— Guard Bella Hasan from Mukilteo, Washington
— Forward Zoey Davis from Panama City, Florida
Along with these freshmen, SUU welcomes graduate student Lexi Bull. The forward from Pocatello, Idaho played her previous season with Tarleton State University, where she averaged over 15 minutes per game and shot 43.3% from the field.
Graduate student Sydney Gandy, the transfer from Loyola Marymount University, averaged 28.4 minutes per game and shot 78.6% from the free-throw line, a place where Southern Utah ranked second to last in the WAC a year ago.
SUU offseason departures
Southern Utah lost a pair of notable players following the 2023-24 regular season. The most notable was graduate student Megan Smith. The center from Castle Dale, Utah led the team in scoring, averaging 16.2 points per game and was second on the team in rebounds, averaging 6.3.
Graduate student Alexa Lord also departed SUU. The guard/forward from Richfield, Utah averaged 6.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. In the first round of the WAC Tournament against University of Texas at Arlington, Lord scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.
Southern Utah is picked to finish fifth in the WAC.
Author: Jack Paul
Photographer: Gannon Lovisa
Editor: SUU News Copy Editor
