On Saturday, Feb. 7, the Southern Utah University women’s basketball team had an all-out brawl with Tarleton State University. Despite an early SUU lead, the game ended with a final score of 59-57.
This loss gives SUU a record of 15-8 overall, with a losing record on the road of 5-7. Their conference rankings still leave them in third place, as they hold a 7-4 conference record.
Tarleton State sits at fourth in the Western Athletic Conference with a 6-6 conference standing. They hold a 12-11 record overall.
First quarter
The Thunderbirds started with the ball off the chain, scoring a total of 22 points in the first quarter compared to Tarleton’s 10. They made nine of their 15 shot attempts and only had three shots at the free-throw line.
Tarleton struggled early on, shooting only 28% from the field. There were several possessions that ended with Texan airballs or shots that only hit the backboard.
Second quarter
The second quarter is where Tarleton flipped the script. Despite trailing by as much as 18, the Texans outscored SUU by eight points. The Thunderbirds still led 32-28 at the half, but ended the period on a huge scoring drought.
The T-Birds couldn’t get a shot to drop as they went a mere 3-17 from the field. A plurality of their points came at the charity stripe. Devyn Kiernan led SUU early on in the quarter, scoring six points within the first two minutes.
Third quarter
As the intensity continued, Tarleton’s defense really picked things up. They held the T-Birds to just eight points and took a four-point lead after trailing all game.
The Thunderbirds faltered offensively, missing all five three-pointer attempts. However, on the defensive side, they managed to hold the Texans to just 16 points.
The two competitors decided to have a block party this quarter. Five of the game’s eight blocks were racked up in this period.
Fourth quarter
The fourth was the closest quarter yet, with a tight match-up of SUU’s 17 points to Tarleton’s 15.
Even though the T-birds took this quarter by storm, coming back with an offensive engine led by Kiernan, Sierra Chambers and Brooklyn Fely, they couldn’t overcome the four-point deficit.
With one minute remaining, SUU took the lead with two free-throws from Chambers, making the score 55-54. The Texans answered quickly with two layups. SUU played the foul game to give them the best shot at victory and trailed by two at the final possession. They almost took the lead with a layup from Chambers, but it rimmed out. The Texans took home the 59-57 win.
Top T-Birds
— Ashley Banks had a big performance off the bench, recording five rebounds, four points, two blocks and a steal in 18 minutes.
— Despite shooting 4-14, Chambers had a great game. She posted 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. She played all 40 minutes.
— Fely had a team-leading eight rebounds to go along with seven points and two assists. She only played for 16 minutes.
— Kiernan led the team with 16 points and racked up six rebounds, an assist and a block.
— Ava Uhrich tied Fely with eight rebounds. She also had nine points, three assists and a steal.
What’s next?
The Thunderbirds have two games coming up on Feb. 12 and 14. The first will be against California Baptist University in Riverside, and the second will be a home match against the University of Texas at Arlington.
Both games will be televised on ESPN+.
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Author: Mitch Wilson
Photographer: SUU Athletics
Editor: Payson Davis
