Thursday, March 7
Cedar City, UT
7:30 p.m.
Stephen F. Austin
at
Southern Utah University
Ladyjacks Begin Final Roadtrip Against Thunderbirds
3/6/2024 6:28:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Stephen F. Austin vs. Southern Utah University
Date: Thursday, March 7th
Time: 7:30 p.m. CT
Live Stream: ESPN+
Stadium: America First Event Center
Series: Series Tied 1-1
Cedar City, Utah. - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks Basketball Team (19-9, 13-4) hits the road for their final two games of the regular season as they start a two-game stint in Utah when they first square off with the Southern Utah University Thunderbirds (7-20, 5-13)
Ladyjacks at a Glance:
The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks will come into Utah for their final two games of the regular season looking to build off their most recent home win on senior day over WAC rival GCU, in which the Ladyjacks rallied late to pull of an 85-77 win over the visiting Lopes and secure their 12th home win of the season and secure their regular season series sweep over GCU. The Ladyjacks will need to win one of their final two games of the season to increase their consecutive seasons with at least 20 wins to eight straight seasons.
Kurstyn Harden's compelling case for WAC Player of the Year continued following a week that saw her win WAC Player of the Week honors for the third time this season. This past week against both CBU and GCU, Harden posted a new career-high 29 points against the Lancers, before following that performance up with another 23 points against GCU on senior day at the Sawmill. However, Harden's contributions went far beyond her scoring as she pulled down 16 rebounds, dished out eight assists, and recorded three blocks and one steal in her award winning week. Destini Lombard formed a dynamic duo with Harden the past week as she posted back-to-back 18-point performances in SFA's two final home games while recording 16 rebounds, seven steals, two blocks, and making six three-pointers over two games. Kyla Deck was equally efficient this week as she posted back-to-back double-digit point games with 14 against the Lancers and 16 against the Lopes, adding five steals and eight rebounds.
The Ladyjacks had a strong overall day shooting against the Lopes as they made a season-high 61.2% of shots from the field, shot 50% from beyond the arc, and made 19 free-throws against the Lopes. Meanwhile, SFA recorded 42 points in the paint thanks to another dominating performance from Kurstyn Harden, while turning seven steals and two blocks into 18 points off turnovers. The game against GCU featured no shortage of entertainment as it featured a back-and-forth affair that saw the lead change hands seven different times, and a tie score eight separate times.
Destini Lombard and Kyla Deck's strong defensive play recently has seen them rise significantly in the national rankings. Lombard currently ranks 20th in the nation in steals with 75 on the season, while Deck ranks 44th in the nation with 67 steals. Not shockingly, Deck and Lombard rank 21st and 27th in the nation in steals per game. Deck averages 2.79 steals/game, while Lombard averages 2.59 steals/contest. Meanwhile, Kurstyn Harden continues her superior senior season that sees her ranked 26th in the nation as she shoots 56.40% from the field.
Thunderbirds at a Glance:
The Southern Utah University Thunderbirds come into Thursday evening's matchup looking to snap a three-game losing skid. The Thunderbirds will close out their final two games of the season at home starting with Thursday against SFA. In their last game, the Thunderbirds fell 69-63 to the Tarleton State Texans last Saturday.
Ava Uhrich, Daylani Ballena, and Shiho Isono formed a nice trio against the Texans as all three finished the game in double-digit points. Uhrich led the scoring charge with 17 points, adding five rebounds and one block, while Ballena recorded 16 points, four rebounds, and two assists. Isono rounded out the top three for Southern Utah with her 13 points, while pulling down five rebounds and recording four assists. Samantha Johnston setup Thunderbirds all game long for scoring opportunities as she led the team by dishing out nine assists while recording two steals.
Daylani Ballena has started all 27 games this season for the Thunderbirds averaging 15.4 points/game while dishing out the most assists on the team with 98 on the season. Ava Uhrich has formed a dynamic duo with Ballena this season as she averages 13.0 points/game while leading the team in rebounds with 195 and averaging a team-high 7.2 rebounds/game. Samantha Johnston is the three-point threat for the Thunderbirds as she has drained 64 triples on the season while being the defensive leader with 26 steals and 26 blocks.
Series: Thursday night's matchup will feature just the third time these two WAC foes have squared off with each other. Both teams have won their one game on their home court, with SFA defeating the Thunderbirds earlier this season at the Sawmill with a 68-53 win, as SFA looks to complete the season series sweep of the Thunderbirds.
Date: Thursday, March 7th
Time: 7:30 p.m. CT
Live Stream: ESPN+
Stadium: America First Event Center
Series: Series Tied 1-1
Cedar City, Utah. - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks Basketball Team (19-9, 13-4) hits the road for their final two games of the regular season as they start a two-game stint in Utah when they first square off with the Southern Utah University Thunderbirds (7-20, 5-13)
Ladyjacks at a Glance:
The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks will come into Utah for their final two games of the regular season looking to build off their most recent home win on senior day over WAC rival GCU, in which the Ladyjacks rallied late to pull of an 85-77 win over the visiting Lopes and secure their 12th home win of the season and secure their regular season series sweep over GCU. The Ladyjacks will need to win one of their final two games of the season to increase their consecutive seasons with at least 20 wins to eight straight seasons.
Kurstyn Harden's compelling case for WAC Player of the Year continued following a week that saw her win WAC Player of the Week honors for the third time this season. This past week against both CBU and GCU, Harden posted a new career-high 29 points against the Lancers, before following that performance up with another 23 points against GCU on senior day at the Sawmill. However, Harden's contributions went far beyond her scoring as she pulled down 16 rebounds, dished out eight assists, and recorded three blocks and one steal in her award winning week. Destini Lombard formed a dynamic duo with Harden the past week as she posted back-to-back 18-point performances in SFA's two final home games while recording 16 rebounds, seven steals, two blocks, and making six three-pointers over two games. Kyla Deck was equally efficient this week as she posted back-to-back double-digit point games with 14 against the Lancers and 16 against the Lopes, adding five steals and eight rebounds.
The Ladyjacks had a strong overall day shooting against the Lopes as they made a season-high 61.2% of shots from the field, shot 50% from beyond the arc, and made 19 free-throws against the Lopes. Meanwhile, SFA recorded 42 points in the paint thanks to another dominating performance from Kurstyn Harden, while turning seven steals and two blocks into 18 points off turnovers. The game against GCU featured no shortage of entertainment as it featured a back-and-forth affair that saw the lead change hands seven different times, and a tie score eight separate times.
Destini Lombard and Kyla Deck's strong defensive play recently has seen them rise significantly in the national rankings. Lombard currently ranks 20th in the nation in steals with 75 on the season, while Deck ranks 44th in the nation with 67 steals. Not shockingly, Deck and Lombard rank 21st and 27th in the nation in steals per game. Deck averages 2.79 steals/game, while Lombard averages 2.59 steals/contest. Meanwhile, Kurstyn Harden continues her superior senior season that sees her ranked 26th in the nation as she shoots 56.40% from the field.
Thunderbirds at a Glance:
The Southern Utah University Thunderbirds come into Thursday evening's matchup looking to snap a three-game losing skid. The Thunderbirds will close out their final two games of the season at home starting with Thursday against SFA. In their last game, the Thunderbirds fell 69-63 to the Tarleton State Texans last Saturday.
Ava Uhrich, Daylani Ballena, and Shiho Isono formed a nice trio against the Texans as all three finished the game in double-digit points. Uhrich led the scoring charge with 17 points, adding five rebounds and one block, while Ballena recorded 16 points, four rebounds, and two assists. Isono rounded out the top three for Southern Utah with her 13 points, while pulling down five rebounds and recording four assists. Samantha Johnston setup Thunderbirds all game long for scoring opportunities as she led the team by dishing out nine assists while recording two steals.
Daylani Ballena has started all 27 games this season for the Thunderbirds averaging 15.4 points/game while dishing out the most assists on the team with 98 on the season. Ava Uhrich has formed a dynamic duo with Ballena this season as she averages 13.0 points/game while leading the team in rebounds with 195 and averaging a team-high 7.2 rebounds/game. Samantha Johnston is the three-point threat for the Thunderbirds as she has drained 64 triples on the season while being the defensive leader with 26 steals and 26 blocks.
Series: Thursday night's matchup will feature just the third time these two WAC foes have squared off with each other. Both teams have won their one game on their home court, with SFA defeating the Thunderbirds earlier this season at the Sawmill with a 68-53 win, as SFA looks to complete the season series sweep of the Thunderbirds.
Players Mentioned
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