In a continuation of their dominant home record, the Southern Utah University women’s basketball team hosted Utah Tech University on Saturday, Jan. 24. Both teams’ defenses were on full display as the Thunderbirds emerged with a 62-49 win.
Through the first 20 games of the season, SUU has gone 13-7 with a 5-3 conference record. They have the second-best overall record in the Western Athletic Conference but are No. 4 in the conference standings.
The Trailblazers fell to 6-12 and hold a 1-7 conference record, which are both last place in the WAC. This is their fourth loss in a row.
First quarter
SUU’s Brooklyn Fely started the game off, grabbing two rebounds and two baskets and forcing Utah Tech to take a timeout. It would take five minutes for the Trailblazers to make a field goal as SUU started on an 8-1 run.
Fely responded to back-to-back Trailblazer triples with another score, but UTU took the lead with free throws near the end of the period. Fely got a stop on defense with a steal, which led to a last-second three from Morgan Triguiero to take a 15-14 lead.
Second quarter
UTU came out swinging with two consecutive triples from Lauren Crocker assisted by Chardonnay Hartley. The teams then went three minutes without a field goal while playing lockdown defense.
The remainder of the quarter followed a distinct pattern. Fely scored, then UTU tied the game with free throws. Fely scored again, and again the Trailblazers tied it at the stripe. With a minute and a half to go Fely got another bucket, which was enough to give SUU the 25-23 lead at the half.
This quarter was low-scoring thanks to the clamping defense on both sides. SUU and UTU combined to shoot 6-25 from the field, 2-9 from three and 6-6 from the free-throw line.
Third quarter
Through the first four minutes, neither team was able to gain any distance. The Thunderbirds then scored eight straight points, including four from Ava Uhrich, to take a seven-point lead.
The Trailblazers almost immediately erased the deficit with two triples from Calyn Dallas. Southern Utah responded with an unbelievable sequence, scoring 10 points at the free-throw line in two and a half minutes. They entered the final quarter up 44-35.
Fourth quarter
The T-Birds started by growing their advantage to as much as 12, but the Trailblazers went on a 7-2 run, threatening a comeback. Sierra Chambers and Devyn Kiernan hit huge threes with five minutes left to keep SUU in the driver’s seat.
Over the final four and a half minutes, UTU only got one field goal as SUU played aggressively on defense. In the final two minutes, the Thunderbirds spent a full minute with possession thanks to four missed shots and three offensive rebounds. Utah Tech wasn’t given a chance to make a run as they fell 62-49.
Key stats
— SUU made 13 free throws in the third quarter. UTU had 13 free throw attempts the entire game.
— Both teams struggled from three, with SUU going 3-13 and UTU shooting 8-27.
— Every Thunderbird besides Nike Borg, who is out due to injury, played at least one minute in this game.
— Southern Utah dominated in the paint. They had twice as many offensive rebounds as Utah Tech, more than twice as many paint points and six times as many second-chance points.
Top T-Birds
— Denver Anderson had seven points, two offensive rebounds, an assist and a steal in 17 minutes off the bench.
— Chambers had 15 points, three rebounds and an assist. She led all players with 38 minutes played.
— Fely played less than 30 minutes but put on a clinic, recording 19 points, 10 rebounds, including five offensive, an assist and a steal.
— Trigueiro had five points on perfect shooting, three rebounds, an assist and a steal.
— Uhrich crashed the glass, pulling down a game-leading 18 rebounds to go along with eight points and two steals.
What’s next?
SUU’s final two games of the homestand will be close together. They’ll first face the University of Texas at Arlington on Thursday, Jan. 29 at 6:30 p.m., followed by Abilene Christian University on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 2 p.m. Both will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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Author: Payson Davis
Photographer: SUU Athletics
Editor: Brooklyn Beard
