With one team snapping a winning streak and the other prolonging a losing one, the Southern Utah University basketball teams both faced California Baptist University on Saturday, Jan. 10. The men’s team lost 58-55 in Riverside, California while the women’s team fell 82-77 at home in overtime.
With the losses, the men’s team fell to a record of 4-13 while the women’s team dropped to 11-5. The men have lost seven games in a row, including all four conference games and 11 of their 12 road games. The women have a 3-1 conference record and recorded their first home loss of the season.
CBU’s men’s team holds a record of 12-6 with a 2-3 conference standing. Their women’s team sits at 11-7 with a 5-0 conference record.
Women’s matchup
First quarter
Both teams were looking to remain perfect in conference play and came out with intensity. They traded a one-point lead back and forth until Lauren Olsen hit a triple to give the Lancers two points of advantage.
Despite a few misses from SUU and another three from CBU, Brooklyn Fely scored six of the T-Birds’ final eight points to keep the deficit at one. California Baptist led 20-19 at the break.
Second quarter
The Thunderbirds took control in the second quarter, outscoring the Lancers 15-7. After a quick CBU layup, SUU went on a 13-3 run for nine minutes.
Even with just one steal and block, Southern Utah clamped California Baptist on defense and led 34-27 at the half. The Lancers didn’t get any second-chance points, fast break points or points off turnovers in this quarter.
Third quarter
Having seemingly made adjustments in the locker room at half, CBU came out with a vengeance and went on an 11-0 run to regain the lead. The teams traded layups again until a three from Khloe Lemon put the Lancers up seven points.
Sierra Chambers fired right back from three, but a layup and another Lemon triple stabilized the momentum. Both teams scored again in the final 40 seconds as California Baptist led 52-46 at the break.
Fourth quarter
Despite being focused on their opponent in this pivotal fourth quarter, the Thunderbirds found themselves facing a laser-focused attack from one player. Senior forward Grace Schmidt scored nine straight points in the first five minutes before recording an assist on a three to grow CBU’s lead.
Not to be outdone, the T-Birds scored seven straight points with five coming from Chambers to take a small lead. The Lancers then hit a three, but Kortney Doman responded right back with one of her own.
With under 30 seconds to go and SUU up two points, both teams started missing every shot, including at the free-throw line. CBU missed a three but got an offensive rebound, forcing SUU to take a timeout. Olsen then got a game-tying layup at the buzzer, forcing overtime with the score tied at 69-69.
Overtime
The first half of the period featured four back-to-back blows that kept the lead tied. A series of misses and turnovers from SUU gave CBU a few scores, and a foul gave them two more points at the line. This would end up being the dagger as the Lancers led by six with 30 seconds left.
California Baptist kept playing the foul game, hitting three more shots at the free-throw line. They opened the game up at the right time in the final two minutes and got the 82-77 victory.
Top T-Birds
— Ashley Banks recorded seven rebounds, five points, two blocks and an assist off the bench.
— Chambers had team highs with 20 points and nine assists. She went 8-9 from the free-throw line in a physically-demanding game.
— Doman stuffed the stat sheet thanks to her aggressive two-way play. She recorded 11 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals in a career-high 41 minutes.
— Fely had eight points, five rebounds and two assists in 13 minutes.
— Ava Uhrich recorded her third double-double in the last four games. She notched 19 points, 17 rebounds and two assists while shooting 77.8% from two-point range.
Men’s matchup
First half
From the beginning of the game, the simmering offensive environment was immediately felt. Neither team scored until two and a half minutes into the half and SUU went 0-7 from the field until eight minutes in. The Lancers were leading 10-3.
Despite CBU growing their advantage to 11 points with five minutes left, the defensive energy on both sides was aggressive and signaled an offensive burst waiting to be let through the watershed.
That offensive stretch came during a stretch when CBU missed seven shots in two minutes. SUU took advantage of the Lancers’ cold streak and cut the lead to two with a Tanner Hayhurst three with one second left. CBU led at the half, 24-22.
Second half
This period started slow like the first, with both teams managing one made shot in the first four minutes. CBU then exploded for a massive 12-2 run to take an 11-point lead.
Southern Utah then unleashed their offense, scoring 10 straight points to put themselves right back in the game. Unfortunately, the Lancers responded with 11 straight of their own to erase the momentum with under three minutes left.
The game stayed run heavy as if to compensate for the sluggish first half. The Thunderbirds scored 12 of the next 14 points to put them one score away with 19 seconds left as CBU took a timeout.
SUU fouled the Lancers to force free throws and they only made one. The T-Birds inbounded the ball with a chance to send the game to overtime like their women’s team peers, but Hayhurst barely missed the three. CBU won the unorthodox contest by a score of 58-55.
Top T-Birds
— Freshman Cale Barclay had nine points, four rebounds and two assists in 18 minutes off the bench.
— Isaiah Cottrell grabbed six rebounds, three blocks, two points and a steal.
— Elijah Duval notched eight points, five rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal.
— Jaiden Feroah was one of three players, and the only T-Bird, to score in the double digits. He recorded 16 points, 6 rebounds, a block and a steal.
— Hayhurst had nine points, five rebounds and an assist.
What’s next?
The women’s team will head to Stephensville, Texas to face Tarleton State University on Thursday, Jan. 15 at 6:00 p.m. On the same day at 6:30 p.m., the men’s team will face TSU at home in Cedar City. Both games will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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Author: Payson Davis
Photographer: SUU Athletics
