After finishing the regular season on a high note, the Southern Utah University women’s basketball team will head down to Las Vegas to take on Tarleton State University in the Western Athletic Conference quarterfinal game on Wednesday, Mar. 12, at 3:30 p.m. in the Orleans Arena.
This game can also be streamed on ESPN+.
Southern Utah finished 0-2 against Tarleton State in the regular season.
“Tarleton is a tough defensive team with some terrific offensive players as well,” said Head Coach Tracy Mason. “We need to take care of the ball, execute our defensive game plan, and be aggressive on the boards.”
Southern Utah
After starting the season slow, SUU picked up some momentum as they head into the WAC Tournament. SUU finished 9-20 on the year and 7-9 in WAC play but finished the last six games 5-1.
Although SUU has finished strong, the T-Birds have struggled in their two games against Tarleton State. SUU averaged 53 points a game against the Texans, averaging 16 turnovers per game.
Over the last month of basketball, guard Daylani Ballena and forward Ava Uhrich have led the T-Birds. Ballena is averaging 15.8 points per game in her previous six games. Ballena is also shooting 7/18 from three during this span.
Uhrich has turned things on in the second half of the season. Since Feb. 1, Uhrich is averaging 13.5 points per game.
Tarleton State
The Texans are looking to cap off their strong season with a deep run in the WAC Tournament. Tarleton State finished 19-12 on the year and 10-6 in WAC play, securing the No. 2 seed in the tournament.
Even though the Texans have had a strong season, TSU has struggled away from Stephenville, Texas. Tarleton State is 6-10 away from home, including 1-3 in their last four road games.
Tarleton State’s Jakoriah Long was recently awarded All-WAC second team. The senior from Waco, Texas averaged 10.4 points per game. In her last game against SUU, Long scored a team-high 21 points on 8/12 shooting from the field.
Author: Jack Paul
Photographer: SUU Athletics
Editor: Chevy Blackburn