It was a busy two days which comprised the midweek round of week three in the WAC. Home teams were 5-1 this round although there were a couple of scares. SUU stayed perfect in WAC play after knocking off an in-state foe. SUU is the lone unbeaten team in the WAC. And SUU could extend it to 5-0 when the T-Birds host Sam Houston on Saturday.
SFA, GCU and Utah Tech all won again, keeping pace in the WAC race.
Let’s break it down a busy Wednesday and Thursday around the WAC.
Wednesday, January 11, 2023
Tarleton 70, UTRGV 60
After a tough road trip which saw the Texans fall to 0-4 in WAC play, I’m sure Tarleton was happy to be back in Stephenville, where they’ve only lost once this year.
After taking a 28-27 lead at the half, the Texans (7-9,1-4) created separation and prevailed 70-60, outscoring UTRGV 42-33 after intermission.
Teresa Da Silva had 21 points (connecting on five shots from beyond the arc), six rebounds, and three assists to lead Tarleton. Elise Turrubiates added 12 points with nine rebounds while Jenna Dick chipped in 10 points for the Texans.
In defeat UTRGV (7-8, 1-3) was led by Iyana Dorsey with 15 pts including a trio of made 3-pointers and Mele Kailahi who added 12 points with a pair of rebounds, a pair of assists, and a pair of steals.
Southern Utah 70, Utah Valley 66
A nip and tuck game between interstate rivals went the T-Birds way in Cedar City as SUU stayed undefeated in WAC play. Megan Jensen, in her first game against her former team, led SUU with 22 points, four rebounds and a pair of blocks. Cherita Daugherty continued her impressive start to the conference season by adding 18 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.
Kaylee Byon had 19 points, four assists and three rebounds to lead Utah Valley (4-12, 1-4). Mae Afoa added 13 points for the Wolverines while Shay Fano chipped in 11 points with eight rebounds.
Q4 | Megan is back at it again ?
SUU up by 5️⃣#TBirdNation pic.twitter.com/DCmycE042R
— SUU Women’s Basketball (@SUUWBasketball) January 12, 2023
Utah Tech 85, Abilene Christian 74
In St. George, the Trailblazers (11-5, 3-2) got themselves above the .500 mark in WAC play as all five starters reached double figures. Breaunna Gillen had 21 points, 11 assists and six rebounds to lead the way. Averi Papa added 16 points while Emily Isaacson (a perfect 4-4 from deep) and Amber Kartchner each added 14. Maggie McCord connected on four 3-pointers and finished with 12 points.
For the Wildcats (8-8, 2-3), Maleeah Langstaff had 18 points and 10 rebounds. Madi Miller added 15 points with five rebounds. Aspen Thornton chipped in 13 points and four assists while Claire Graham netted 10 more points.
Another quick #MACU3 from @EmilyIsaacson22 #UtahTechBlazers pic.twitter.com/Rzhgim8V2H
— Utah Tech Women's Basketball (@UtahTech_WBB) January 12, 2023
Thursday, January 12, 2023
Grand Canyon 77, UT Arlington 75
In Arlington, Grand Canyon (12-4, 4-1) led by as many as nine (69-60) with 5:40 left. But the Lady Mavs (7-10, 1-4) outscored the Lopes 15-6 to tie the game. With two seconds left on the clock, Laila McLeod hit a pair of free throws to put the Lopes on top and then a half court heave fell harmlessly to the floor in the 77-75 win.
Naudia Evans had 24 points and six assists, connecting on a quartet of 3-pointers, to lead the Lopes. Olivia Lane and Dominique Phillips (14 & 12 points respectively) also were in double figures as GCU survived on the road. Molly Miller’s squad kept pace in the WAC race with the road win.
For the Lady Mavs, Kayla White had 18 points while Starr Jacobs added 14 points, six rebounds and four assists. Jireh Washington chipped in with 12 points, five rebounds and three assists while Kamaria Gipson netted another 10 points in defeat for UT Arlington.
14 points, 3 threes.
Naudia Evans is on fire! ?#LopesUp pic.twitter.com/ft3zQWDheP
— GCU Women's Basketball (@GCU_WBB) January 13, 2023
New Mexico State 69, Sam Houston State 48
In Las Cruces, the Aggies (9-8, 4-1) led from start to finish and remained a game behind idle Southern Utah with a win. Ashlee Strawbridge led the Aggies with 13 points while Shania Harper and Sylena Peterson each added 11. Harper added eight rebounds while Peterson chipped in with six assists and five rebounds. A 21-10 second quarter pushed the Aggies to a 15-point lead at intermission and Sam Houston State could not mount a second half rally on the road.
In defeat, the Bearkats (6-8, 2-2) got 14 points and seven rebounds from Madelyn Batista along with 13 points and four rebounds from Chyna Allen.
New career-high from Ashlee Strawbridge and her sixth triple of the season?#AggieUp pic.twitter.com/uMwDUIvAEc
— NM State WBB (@NMStateWBB) January 13, 2023
Stephen F. Austin 79, CBU 64
In Riverside, the Ladyjacks (13-3, 3-1) trailed 34-30 at half but outscored the Lancers 19-11 in third quarter play to take back the lead and never looked back in a 79-64 victory. Aiyanna Johnson had 20 points, four rebounds and four assists to lead the way while Jordan Harrison added 18 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. Also in double figure scoring for the Ladyjacks were Angel Scott (15 points) and Avery Brittingham (14 points with 20 rebounds).
In defeat, Kinsley Barrington led CBU (7-9, 3-2) with 16 points and six rebounds. Dorcas Wu added 15 points with nine rebounds, and Trinity San Antonio added 11 points and four assists.
Aiyana Johnson finding an opening and taking the ball through the defense!!#AxeEm x #RaiseTheAxe pic.twitter.com/MjA1y759bh
— SFA Women's Basketball (@SFAWBB) January 13, 2023
Idle on Saturday afternoon will be CBU. Here is the rest of the slate for Saturday…
UT Arlington at Tarleton – 2 p.m. CT
Abilene Christian at Utah Valley – 3 p.m. CT
Grand Canyon at UTRGV – 4 p.m. CT
Stephen F. Austin at Seattle U – 4 p.m. CT
Utah Tech at New Mexico State – 4 p.m. CT
Sam Houston at SUU – 5 p.m. CT
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