The Southern Utah University women’s basketball team heads into a pivotal early week as they prepare to face Benedictine University Mesa on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 6:30 p.m. in the America First Event Center, followed by a matchup against California Polytechnic State University on Friday, Nov. 21, at 7 p.m. at the Mott Athletics Center.
Both games will also be streamed on ESPN+.
Southern Utah
Coming off a narrow 72-76 loss to the University of Idaho, SUU is looking to reignite their early-season win streak as they now sit at 3-1 on the year.
The T-Bird offense is currently led by Sierra Chambers, boasting a team-leading 17 points and four assists per game. She had a strong performance last week against Idaho, putting up 19 points and drawing many fouls despite shooting troubles.
A notable strength of SUU’s lineup this season is their rebounding presence. Kortney Doman, Brooklyn Fely and Ava Uhrich share a collective average of 40 total rebounds per game, and all average around a double-double.
Benedictine Mesa
The Redhawks, a non-NCAA team, head into the week with a 2-1 record. They opened the season with a 50-point win against Navajo Technical University and a dominant but short-lived performance against Westcliff University, who forfeit after one quarter thanks to a shorthanded roster.
In their following game against Arizona Christian University, Olivia Arvallo and Leanna Lepe powered the offense. The two scored 31 of the team’s 62 points.
Benedictine Mesa also features strong players in Naomi Elliott, Alexia Wilcox and newcomer Aaliyah Garcia, all of whom have impressive offensive and defensive stats against a limited competition field.
SUU will be the Redhawks’ first NCAA opponent of the year, and the teams have only faced off once. SUU won the 2022 matchup by 42 points.
Cal Poly
Cal Poly’s roster has seen significant changes this year. The Mustangs have nine newcomers on their roster after losing all six of their top scorers from last season.
Charish Thompson, one of the new additions, has been a standout player early in the season. She scored a career-high 29 points last week against Seattle University.
The team’s offense is led by Vanessa McManus. McManus averages 23.3 points per game, followed by Thompson with an average of 16.3.
Alana Goosby has proven to be a key facilitator and defender, leading the team in steals with three per game and assists with 3.7 per game.
Cal Poly is 1-4 against SUU all-time. Their sole victory came from their clash in 2024 on SUU’s home court. Every other faceoff between the teams came in the 1990s.
Author: Boston Miles
Photographer: SUU Athletics
Editor: Payson Davis
