On Thursday, March 12, the Southern Utah University women’s basketball team went down to Las Vegas to play in the Western Athletic Conference tournament. Seeking their second-ever appearance in March Madness, the T-Birds fell 70-65 to the University of Texas at Arlington in a shocking upset.
With the loss, SUU’s record sits at 19-12. They went 11-7 in conference play but lost the final four games of the season, all to teams with worse records.
Even though their NCAA Tournament dreams are dashed, the Thunderbirds’ season isn’t done yet. They accepted a spot in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, which features all the best non-March Madness teams. They’ll face the winner of the University of California, Davis and Pepperdine University. More details will come when made available.
UT Arlington’s record sits at 12-21 to end the year. They lost in the semifinal round of the WAC Tournament to Abilene Christian University. They lost all three regular season games against SUU but pulled off a stunner in the final match.
First quarter
SUU started the game slow offensively, trailing 6-2 after the first one and a half minutes. However, they then went on a massive 18-0 run to take a commanding lead.
Even though UTA went on a 9-2 run of their own to end the quarter, the T-Birds held the 20-15 lead going into the next period.
Second quarter
The T-Birds aggression and passion continued through the second quarter, as they opened with a foul. The Mavericks missed both free throws and SUU came storming back down the court.
In what seemed to be foreshadowing for the rest of the game, Southern Utah continued to get one offensive rebound after another from missed shots. They had drive, but the ball wasn’t going in the hoop.
Both teams failed to score for the first three minutes of the quarter. By the end of the quarter, UTA had shaved the lead to two points. SUU ended the half up 32-29.
Third quarter
Two minutes into the third quarter, UT Arlington took their first lead of the game. They jumped ahead of SUU by four within a few more minutes.
The teams went back and forth and traded the lead for the rest of the period. Brooklyn Fely tried to keep the T-Birds afloat, scoring nine points in the quarter. As the clock winded down, they were down 45-44 heading into the most important quarter of the season.
Fourth quarter
The fourth quarter was another back and forth battle between both offenses. The Thunderbirds grabbed a quick lead, lifting their hopes for the postseason.
UT Arlington kept bouncing back, though. With four minutes left, the T-Birds’ propensity to turn the ball over gave the Mavericks the lead.
Morgan Trigueiro came up clutch for SUU, hitting back to back three pointers to cut Arlington’s lead to one.
With just 30 seconds left, the T-Birds found themselves down by four, and had to rush to the finish as the clock was ticking on their season.
The T-Birds struggled to hit their shots on their last possessions, forcing them to foul to try and stop the clock, resulting in four T-Birds fouling out by the end of the match. UTA ultimately won 70-65, eliminating SUU from the tournament.
Top T-Birds
— Fely had a solid all-round game, posting 13 points, nine rebounds, two blocks and an assist. She only played 18 minutes.
— Ava Uhrich matched Fely’s scoring with 13 points. She also recorded five rebounds and a steal.
— Trigueiro was on fire all night, shooting 3-3 from three-point land and 1-1 from the free-throw line.
— Senior Ashley Banks led all players with 10 rebounds. She also had two points and an assist.
— Sierra Chambers had nine points, a team-leading four points and three rebounds in 39 minutes.
What’s next?
The Thunderbirds will have at least one more chance to extend their season. They will face Pepperdine University in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament on Sunday, March 22, at 3 p.m. in Malibu, California.
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Author: Mitch Wilson and Payson Davis
Photographer: SUU Athletics
Editor: Payson Davis
