Women’s basketball saw action as the Southern Utah University women’s basketball team hosted Ottawa University Arizona on Wednesday, Oct. 30. Southern Utah outlasted Ottawa 66-47 in an exhibition game.
“It was good for us to get a game under our belt,” said head coach Tracy Mason. “We have a lot we did good but we also have a lot we need to continue to work on.”
First half
SUU brought out Jaeden Brown, Ava Uhrich, Sydney Gandy, Daylani Ballena and Samantha Johnston to start the game. Both teams struggled shooting the ball out the gate. Ottawa shot just 3/11 from the field and 1/5 from behind the arc. Forward Brianna Humphries led the team with five points.
Uhrich and Ballena led the way in the first half with 15 combined points. Uhrich also led the team with three assists. Freshman Sierra Chambers was the first off the bench and went 2/3 from the floor. At the half, Southern Utah led 36-17.
Second half
Gandy came out and hit a pair of threes to start the second half. The transfer guard finished the game with a team-high 13 points. SUU went 3/9 from three and 13/16 from the free-throw line.
Tiana Sledge and Makayla Hothaus led the teams scoring in the second half. Sledge had six points on 2/7 shooting and Hothaus scored five. Ottawa kept things close in the third quarter and outscored Southern Utah in the fourth.
Southern Utah’s strong first and second quarter gave the Thunderbirds the 66-47 win.
Key statistics
— Ottawa turned the ball over 21 times.
— Southern Utah went 19/23 from the free-throw line.
— Uhrich played 27 minutes, the most on the team.
— Angel Addleman led Ottawa University with four assists.
Southern Utah will officially start their 2024-25 season against the University of Utah on Monday, Nov. 4 at 11 a.m. This game will be played in Salt Lake City, Utah, or can be streamed on ESPN+.
Author: Jack Paul
Photographer: Gannon Lovisa
Editor: SUU News Copy Editor
