Coming off a tight exhibition loss against Fort Lewis University, the Southern Utah University women’s basketball team will look to kick off the 2026-27 season right against the University of Redlands. The game will take place on Monday, Nov. 2, at 5 p.m. in Cedar City at the America First Event Center.
The game will also be streamed live on ESPN+.
SUU went 19-13 last year, losing the last five games of the season but setting a high bar and etching themselves in program history.
The Bulldogs had a 19-7 record last year in Division Three. They haven’t had a losing record in a full season since the 2018-19 campaign.
The T-Birds and Bulldogs have faced off three times with SUU winning every time. All of those games were in the mid- to late-1980s.
What to expect from SUU
This will be SUU’s first match of the season besides their two-point exhibition loss to Fort Lewis College, a Division Two program. The T-Birds had some star standouts like Brooklyn Fely and Ava Uhrich returning, the latter of whom made the Big Sky Conference Preseason All-Conference Team.
The Thunderbirds ultimately fell short in their lone preseason game as Fely missed the game-tying layup with just a few seconds left on the clock. Southern Utah was picked to place No. 5 in their first year back in the Big Sky.
The Thunderbirds are primed more than ever for the year after stewing for the past two weeks. This will be the Bulldogs’ first match of the year, but won’t count toward their regular season record.
Similar to the T-Birds of last year, the Bulldogs were a solid team on the road but cemented themselves and their identity at home. That said, the Thunderbirds will be looking to make that same presence felt as they did last year.
After only four roster changes and a similar coaching staff to the 2025-26 campaign, the identity of the T-Birds is shaping up to be strong at home just like last year. The team’s former associate head coach, Allyson Fasnacht, has stepped away from coaching while former assistant Jay Johnson has been promoted.
With the new players Amiah Lewis, Melicia Nelson and Diana Sorrondo, the T-Birds were able to experiment in chemistry building over the past two weeks following their exhibition match.
Rounding out Redlands
For the Thunderbirds, this is the start of a regular season. But for the Bulldogs, this is just an exhibition match. Besides SUU, the University of Redlands only faces DIII schools with most of them in California.
The Bulldogs’ top two scorers from last year, AJ Wick and Teagan McIlroy, remain on the team this year. Wick, a 6-foot-1-inch center from Henderson, Nev., averaged 15 points and 10.7 rebounds per game last year. She was second on the team in blocks and steals.
McIlroy, a 5-foot-6-inch point guard from Phoenix, was second on the team last year in points and assists and third in rebounds. She was also first in steals and blocks, an impressive feat for a smaller guard.
When and where
SUU will take on the University of Redlands on Monday, Nov. 2, at 5 p.m. in the America First Event Center. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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Author: Mitch Wilson and Payson Davis
Photo by SUU Athletics
Editor: Payson Davis
sports@suunews.net
