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CEDAR CITY — The Southern Utah women's basketball team ended a four-game skid Saturday with a 82-80 victory over the Abilene Christian Wildcats.
The win moves the Thunderbirds to 5-13 on the season and 3-6 in Western Athletic Conference play. Just ahead of Southern Utah in the WAC standings, the Wildcats now have an 8-10 overall record and 4-5 conference record.
Both teams shot over 50% from the field, with Southern Utah going 30-of-57 and Abilene Christian going 32-of-64. Despite making fewer shots, Southern Utah made twice as many 3-pointers than its visitors. Their 10 made shots from beyond the arc gave them their highest total this season, with five of them coming from the hands of senior guard Samantha Johnston.
Johnston attempted nothing but 3-pointers in the game, plus two free throws, to give her a total of 17 points on the afternoon.
Freshman sensation Ava Uhrich was the star for the Thunderbirds, though, recording her sixth double-double of the season. She scored a career-high 25 points to accompany her 12 rebounds.
Leading all scorers was Abilene Christian's Payton Hull, who had 27 points on 11-of-18 shooting, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range.
The teams traded the lead just twice in the first half, and both times happened in the first three minutes of play. Southern Utah led for the other 17, building their largest advantage to 11 points. Uhrich scored 13 of the Thunderbirds' 50 first-half points to lead all scorers, and the teams headed into halftime at 50-41.
Southern Utah maintained a double-digit lead for the majority of the third quarter and it was their best shooting period. They went 7-of-11 from the field while holding the Wildcats to 8-of-17.
It wasn't until there was 2:25 left in the game when Abilene Christian knotted up the score at 77-all.
The Wildcats stayed steady to score 19 points in the final period of play and kept Southern Utah to 10 points, allowing just four field goals. After a layup by Uhrich returned the Thunderbirds' lead, Hull made a 3-point shot to give Abilene Christian a 1-point edge.
One more Uhrich layup put the Thunderbirds back on top. The final eight seconds featured a steal from Southern Utah's Ashley Banks, a successful Uhrich free throw and a block of the Wildcats' final shot by Johnston, sealing an 82-80 win.
Southern Utah, as they frequently have this season, struggled when it came to turnovers. They lost the ball 15 times, more than double Abilene Christian's total. The Wildcats scored 20 points off turnovers, accounting for 25% of their scoring.
WAC play will continue for both teams on Thursday as Southern Utah takes on UT Arlington and Abilene Christian takes on Tarleton State.
