CEDAR CITY, Utah - Jan. 8 - Southern Utah will be back in the friendly confines of the Centrum Arena when the Thunderbirds host the UMKC Kangaroos on Saturday night. SUU will be looking to snap a two-game losing skid when the ball is tipped at 5:00 p.m.
The game will be in conjunction with “Food Fight” night sponsored by The Summit League. The event, pitting Summit League schools against one another to see which school can collect more non-perishable food items, will be facilitated by the Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) and SUU student government.
Southern Utah's spin on the event, TUFF - Thunderbirds United for Food, will feature promotional items provided by the Summit League, including a Summit League gift packet to be given away at half time in a special drawing. Fans will receive one ticket (LIMIT OF 10) for each canned food item they bring to the game. All of the canned food items will be donated to the local Iron Country Care and Share, cash donations are also welcome. Fans will have a second chance to donate when the men host UMKC on Feb. 9.
On the hardwood, SUU and UMKC split the two conference games during the 2007-08 season with the home teams capturing the victory in each case. The Kangaroo's 80-48 victory in Kansas City came as senior Alysa Klein connected on 10-of-10 from the field en route to a 20-point night. Anne Westwood Higbee hit 3-of-4 from the free throw line down the stretch for Southern Utah's 51-49 victory in Cedar City.
UMKC will enter the game with a 2-2 league record, but Southern Utah will look to draw even with the Kangaroos, entering with a 1-3 Summit League mark. The game will be streamed live at www.suutbirds.com.
Scouting UMKC
UMKC will enter the game with the Thunderbirds as winners of three of its last four games, including an overtime win at IUPUI on Jan. 5. In all, the Kangaroos have a 7-8 record, but are only 2-5 on the road.
Chazny Morris leads UMKC in scoring (17.7 ppg), rebounds (7.3 rpg), assists (44) and steals (26). She is the only double-digit scorer on the roster with Kalei Nance trailing with 8.2 ppg and 5.9 ppg.
The Kangaroos shoot .363 from the field, compared to the .395 by the opposition. UMKC also trails in rebounding, 39.0 rpg to 40.4 rpg for its opponents.
Head coach Candice Whitaker is in her third season at the helm of the UMKC program and has compiled an overall record of 29-49 over that span.
Last Time vs UMKC
CEDAR CITY, Utah - Feb. 9 - Southern Utah women's basketball had a double-digit lead over UMKC as late as 6:55 in the second half and held onto a lead down the stretch for a 51-49 victory over the Kangaroos on Saturday night. The win improves the Thunderbirds to 6-17 on the year and 4-8 in The Summit League. UMKC falls to 9-14 and 2-10 in conference play.
Caitlyn Sears put the Thunderbirds up five with back-to-back free throws with 31 seconds in the game. UMKC then scored a 3-point basket in the strangest play of the game as the Kangaroos fielded six players on the court at the same time. The obvious faux pax was missed by the officials as Brittny Picconi drained the long-range bucket from the corner and then stepped non-challantly off the court.
Despite the six-player advantage on the play, Southern Utah hung on as Anne Westwood connected on 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch to seal the 51-49 victory for the Thunderbirds.
Sagers led all scorers with a career-high 13 points and five rebounds. She also added three blocks on the night to fill out the box score. Westwood and Aubrey Mackintosh joined Sagers in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Thunderbird Trends
Three cheers for Higbee
Anne (Westwood) Higbee has led Southern Utah in points and rebounding each of the last two seasons. The senior could be the first player in SUU basketball history, men or women, to lead the team in both categories for a third consecutive year with a repeat performance during the 2008-09 campaign.
Cleaning the glass
Southern Utah has been strong on the glass, out rebounding all but five of its opponents. The Thunderbirds are currently first in the league in rebounds per game and defensive rebounds.
D-Fense
Southern Utah is tops in The Summit League in defensive field goal percentage, holding its opponents to 35 percent from the field. The T-Birds are second in the league in defensive 3-point field goal percentage with the opposition connecting on 30 percent from long range.
Nifty fifty
Southern Utah shot over 50 percent from the field for the first time since December 2006 in the game against IPFW. The Thunderbirds recorded their second and third 50+ percent shooting performance in an 85-52 victory over Western Oregon and 85-67 win over Westminster.
Vindication
Southern Utah has earned a measure of payback in victories over Idaho State and Oakland this season. The Thunderbirds suffered losses against those teams during the 2007-08 campaign.
That 70's show
Southern Utah's magic number has been in the 70's this season with the team a perfect 5-0 when scoring 70+ points in a game this season.
30 something
The Thunderbirds captured their first 30-plus point win in eight years with an 85-52 blowout victory over Western Oregon.
For the complete release with the latest stats, please click on the link at the top of the page.
