A slow, sloppy, and uninspired performance from the Wolverines against Stephen F. Austin led to a loss by a monstrous 49 points in one of the worst performances of the season, falling 84-35 and dropping to 9-17 on the season.
The Wolverines struggled early, going down 10 almost immediately due to sloppy offensive play and constant turnovers. UVU was simply unable to convert offensively, struggling to find open shots and even more to make the open shots they found.
Too often Utah Valley would pass around until late in the shot clock without finding an opening or a successful drive, and throw up a less-than-optimal shot as the time expired. This was due in part to excellent defensive scheming by the Ladyjacks, who were anchored by their 6’3” center Kyrsten Harden, who made any shot inside a difficult one.
From there the deficit never shrank, with SFA never trailing during the game, and their lead growing past 20, 30, and 40 points, against a Wolverine team that looked like they had given up.
This was part of the Wolverines’ worst shooting game of the season, shooting 7.7% from three, and 25% from the field. With your leading scorer only putting up 8 points, and making only a single three all game, it really is tough to beat anyone.
This game was disappointing because this team has shown some major promise. After an overtime victory against Cal Baptist where they scored 92 points, it seemed that some life had been infused into this Wolverine team. Still, after back-to-back one-point losses against Southern Utah and UTRGV, this demolition is a major blow to the Wolverines’ playoff chances. Now residing in tenth place these last three games are critical to climb to at least an eighth place spot to make the WAC Tournament.
The team has promise, talent, and a bright future, but sometimes it seems difficult for them to put it together.
Their road trip continues next Saturday, Mar. 2 at 2:00 against UT Arlington. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
