It was another tough night for the Utah Valley University women’s basketball team as they fell short against Southern Utah University–the No. 1 seed in the Western Athletic Conference– 75-70. With this loss, they fall to 6-18 on the season.
Despite the loss, Shay Fano led the team in scoring with 20 points and a career-high of seven-made free throws. The Wolverines as a whole shot 44% from the field, which has been their most successful shooting in 7 games. However, it wasn’t enough to outscore the Thunderbirds.
The Thunderbirds got off to a head start in the first quarter, shooting 66% from the field and 80% from beyond the arch. Their success on the court was supported by help from players Samantha Johnston and Megan Jensen, who combined for a total of 39 points and 11 Assists.
In the second quarter, SUU continued to shoot well, but the Wolverines kicked up the intensity on both ends of the court. With the help of Saige Gibbs’s six points, they slowly chipped away at the deficit, going into the half trailing by four points.
UVU kept their intensity as they continued to hang around, but the Wolverines were outscored in the third quarter 17-14.
With eight minutes remaining UVU trailed 67-50 but would not let up and fought till the end. The Wolverines executed an 18-4 run and cut the deficit to just three points with 2:28 remaining. The Wolverines got the ball with a chance to tie it but their three-pointer was off the mark and the Thunderbirds iced the game with a pair of free throws from Johnstone. SUU went on to defeat the Wolverines with a final score of 75-70.
UVU hopes to bounce back in their upcoming game Thursday, Feb. 16th in California against California Baptist University. The game tips off at 7:00 p.m. MT and can be streamed on ESPN+.
