The Southern Utah University women’s basketball team traveled to Riverside, California, to take on a top conference rival in California Baptist University, on Thursday, Feb. 12. The Thunderbirds put up an outstanding performance, outplaying the Lancers on both ends and securing the 85-70 win.
SUU now holds a 16-8 record and has won five of their last six. They boast an 8-4 conference standing.
CBU sits at a 16-9 record and lost the best overall standing in the conference to the T-Birds. They still possess the top spot in the conference with a 10-2 standing.
First half
The T-Birds came out firing on all cylinders, going on a 14-6 run with Brooklyn Fely and Ava Uhrich both draining a pair of triples. SUU’s momentum faded towards the end of the quarter and the Lancers were able to battle back. Some free throws allowed the Thunderbirds to keep the lead as the quarter ended.
Fely and Uhrich continued to show out, combining for 30 points in the first half to provide the T-Birds a comfortable 15-point cushion. Before halftime, Morgan Trigueiro sank her second deep shot of the night. SUU led 46-32 at the half.
Second half
The Thunderbirds wasted no time picking up where they started. They went on a 11-5 run and extended the lead to 20. Devyn Kiernan added two threes of her own while Fely and Uhrick continued to dominate.
CBU attempted to make an aggressive comeback and managed to close the game to within 11. The third quarter ended 65-54 Southern Utah.
The Thunderbirds kept rolling coming into the fourth. Trigueiro and Uhrich both hit shots from beyond the arc to extend the lead. Fely surpassed 30 points while free throws helped finalize the victory at 85-70.
Key stats
— SUU took advantage of CBU’s propensity to foul. The Lancers committed 17 fouls while the T-Birds had just eight.
— SUU had three steals and zero blocks, while CBU had six blocks and five steals.
— CBU shot 5-25 from three while SUU went a respectable 10-22.
Top T-Birds
— Fely had a monster game. She had 31 points, her most as a Thunderbird, and grabbed 13 rebounds. She’s second in the Western Athletic Conference in double-doubles. She also shot 12-17 from the field.
— Uhrich had a stellar performance as well, putting up 21 points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal.
— Trigueiro had 11 points, two rebounds and an assist in 15 minutes off the bench.
— Kortney Doman and Sierra Chambers both played all forty minutes. While the two had just four points each, Doman had six rebounds and four assists while Chambers led the team with six assists.
What’s next
The Thunderbirds will travel back home to face the University of Texas at Arlington on Saturday Feb. 14, at 2 p.m. in the America First Event Center. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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Author: Andrew Streeter
Photographer: SUU Athletics
Editor: Payson Davis
