Looking to snap a four-game losing streak, the Southern Utah University women’s basketball team hosts Seattle University on Saturday, Jan. 18, at 2 p.m. in the America First Event Center.
“We need to be focused and compete for 40 minutes,” Head Coach Tracy Mason said. “We’ve had a really good week of practice and some good time to get prepared.”
This game can also be streamed live on ESPN+.
Southern Utah
It has been a poor start to the season for SUU as they are 2-14 overall and 0-3 in the Western Athletic Conference. One aspect of their struggle has been the offensive production. As a team, SUU ranks second to last in the conference in scoring offense, averaging only 60.8 points a game.
One reason for the struggles on offense has been the inconsistent shooting. SUU is shooting just 26.1% from three, with guard Sydney Gandy leading the team with 32 made threes.
Defensively, SUU has four girls who have recorded 10 or more steals on the year. Daylani Ballena leads the team with 17 steals, followed by Gandy with 16. Along with that, both Ballena and Gandy have combined for 92 assists.
Seattle U
Like Southern Utah, Seattle U has struggled on the year. The Redhawks are 3-12 on the year and 0-2 in WAC play. Since Nov. 30, Seattle U is 1-8 and has a -19.3 point differential.
Seattle has also struggled offensively, ranking last in the conference in scoring offense and margin. Despite the struggles, freshman Candy Edokpaigbe has been impressive. The guard from Naples, Italy, leads the Redhawks in scoring averaging 11.3 points per game on 54.9 percent shooting.
On the defensive side of things, Seattle has shown some inconsistency. The Redhawks rank in the bottom of the conference in opponent field goal percentage, allowing teams to shoot 44.9% from the field.
Keys to the game
— Southern Utah needs to start hot early, Since Dec. 1, SUU has a -5.5 point differential in the first half.
— Seattle U ranks last in the conference in assists per game. If the Redhawks are to earn their first conference win of the year, Seattle U needs to share the ball and find open looks.
Southern Utah is 2-1 all-time against Seattle U.
Author: Jack Paul
Photographer: SUU Athletics
Editor: Chevy Blackburn
