Aiming for their second win of the week, the Southern Utah University women’s basketball team faced the University of Idaho on Saturday, Nov. 15 in Moscow, Idaho. Southern Utah battled up to the very end, but fell short 76-72.
With the loss, Southern Utah falls to 3-1 on the season and 1-1 on the road. Idaho improves to 3-1 on the year and 2-0 at home.
First quarter
The T-Birds came out firing in the first quarter thanks to Devyn Kiernan. The freshman guard hit three straight three-pointers, giving SUU a 12-4 lead.
After back-to-back buckets from Sierra Chambers, Southern Utah led by eight points late in the first quarter. Idaho’s Debora dos Santos responded with a quick four points to end the quarter and cut SUU’s lead to 18-14.
Second quarter
Idaho’s offense dominated in quarter two, being led by Hope Hassmann. The junior guard scored eight points and added three assists. The Vandals dropped 24 points in the second period and held an eight-point lead late.
Despite Idaho’s strong offensive performance, Southern Utah was resilient. Kortney Doman made a layup and Ava Uhrich hit a three to cut the lead to three at half.
Third quarter
Coming out of the half, both teams traded 5-0 runs. After those runs, neither team could separate from each other.
With under four minutes left in the quarter, SUU was down by five but finished strong. Chambers hit four free-throws and Kiernan and Doman made baskets, giving the T-Birds a lead of three.
Fourth quarter
After Doman made a layup to open the fourth, Idaho went on a 15-3 run over the next six minutes, giving the Vandals a 69-62 lead. With two minutes left, SUU wasn’t going down without a fight. Uhrich hit a three to cut the lead to four.
Both teams traded buckets for the next minute before Doman hit a three-pointer with 1:25 left in the game, shrinking the lead to three.
Looking to get a stop and have a chance to tie the game, Kyra Gardner missed a three with 14 seconds left but Mary McMorris secured an offensive rebound and was fouled. McMorris went 1/2 from the free-throw line and gave Idaho the 76-72 win.
Top performers
— Hassmann led all Vandals with 21 points on 5/14 shooting from the field.
— SUU’s starters combined for 60 of their 72 total points.
— Uhrich finished with 14 points and a game-leading 17 rebounds. She and Doman were the only players to record double-doubles.
— Idaho’s dos Santos led all bench players with 13 points.
What’s next?
Southern Utah heads home to face Benedictine University Mesa on Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 6:30 p.m. in the America First Event Center. This game can also be streamed on ESPN+.
Author: Jack Paul
Photographer: SUU Athletics
Editor: Payson Davis
