CEDAR CITY — Ava Uhrich scored 20 points to lead the Southern Utah University women to victory against the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, 65-52, on Saturday.
With the win, SUU earns a berth in the 2024 Western Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament next week in Las Vegas. The Thunderbirds improve to 8-21 overall and 6-14 in conference play, while the Vaqueros finish their season 6-23 and 5-15.
“I’m just super proud of this team. We knew what was on the line today and we took care of business,” Thunderbird coach Tracy Mason said on Senior Night. “I think it was a special night for Lex and she definitely deserved this win.”
The two teams traded baskets to start the game as the score was tied at 5-5 with 7:23 on the clock. After the Vaqueros scored the next five points to go up 10-5, Shiho Isono sparked a 10-0 burst to push SUU ahead 15-10 at the end of the first.
UTRGV used an 8-3 run to tie the game at 18 points apiece with 7:28 remaining in the second period. Four T-Birds added a bucket as Southern Utah outscored the Vaqueros 10-9 the rest of the way to take a 28-27 lead at the break.
Southern Utah came out hot to begin the second half, scoring six consecutive points to go up 34-27 with 7:20 left in the third quarter.
Samantha Johnston knocked down a pair of three pointers to spark an 8-3 run to give SUU a 42-33 advantage midway through the period.
Ava Uhrich poured in seven of the next nine points for the Thunderbirds as the team went up by double digits, 51-40. Southern Utah led 51-44 heading into the final period of play.
The Thunderbirds relied on a balanced attack in the fourth quarter, with Uhrich and Ballena each adding four points as Southern Utah outscored the Vaqueros 14-8 in the period to claim a decisive 65-52 victory.
T-Bird tidbits
The Thunderbirds won the rebounding war 38-35, collected seven steals compared to only two for the Vaqueros and forced 13 turnovers while only committing four. All seven players to check in for SUU registered a field goal.
Ava Uhrich powered the ‘Birds attack with 20 points on 9-13 shooting to go along with a team-best nine rebounds. Daylani Ballena and Samantha Johnston scored 14 and Shiho Isono 11.
Southern Utah will travel to Las Vegas, Nevada next week for the 2024 Western Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament which will take place from Mar. 13-16. Official tournament seedings and matchups will be announced on Sunday, March 10.
Thunderbird men
EDINBURG, Texas — The SUU Men’s Basketball team closed out the season with a road win over the Vaqueros, 68-59. The Thunderbirds finished the season 10-21 overall and 5-15 in WAC play.
“The most important thing about tonight was that we showed that even when we have no reason to play hard, we know it’s our last game, we can still come out and work hard and fight for one another and get a win,” Thunderbird coach ROb Jeter said. “That is the culture that we as a coaching staff are trying to establish, and I am really proud of the guys.”
The Thunderbirds took a two-point lead into the half after Braden Housley hit a shot with four seconds left.
It was a neck-and-neck game throughout, with neither team leading by more than four points until 6:40 left in the game, when Prophet Johnson hit a fast-break layup to push the Thunderbird lead to 56-51. SUU never looked back and ultimately claimed a victory in the season’s final contest. The tercel Thunderbirds were eliminated from playoff contention after last week’s loss.
T-Bird leaders
Dominique Ford and Jamari Sibley led SUU in scoring at 15 points each, with Sibley adding six rebounds and Ford dishing six assists.
Braden Housley scored 12 points, led the team in assists with eight and grabbed five boards.
Johnson was huge in the second half, scoring all 10 of his points and pulling down five rebounds.
SUU shot 45% from the field and 30% from behind the arc, making nine on the night.
Stay up-to-date for news on next season for Southern Utah Thunderbird men’s basketball team by following @SUUBasketball on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. And by following the Southern Utah Basketball page on Facebook.
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