Utah Valley University’s women’s basketball team is set to host Southern Utah University on Thursday, March 5, at the UCCU Center in Orem. The game marks the final weekend of the regular season for the Wolverines, who are seeking their first win against the Thunderbirds this year. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. Mountain Time.
The matchup will be broadcast on ESPN+, with Ethan Jordan providing play-by-play commentary, Josh Kallunki as analyst, and Sammy Miller reporting from the sidelines. Fans can also follow live statistics at GoUVU.com/stats.
In their most recent outing, Utah Valley narrowly lost to Abilene Christian by a score of 58-57. Amanda Barcello led the team with 13 points, while Cambree Blackham and Halle Nelson each contributed 12 points. Nelson has now scored in double figures in two of her last three games. Despite leading much of the game, Utah Valley fell behind late in the third quarter but briefly regained the lead with 20 seconds remaining after a layup by Blackham. However, Abilene Christian responded with a decisive basket from Breanna Davis.
Southern Utah enters Thursday’s contest with a 19-9 overall record and an 11-5 mark in Western Athletic Conference (WAC) play. The Thunderbirds are currently one game behind Abilene Christian for second place in the conference standings as they prepare for next week’s WAC Tournament in Las Vegas. Sierra Chambers leads Southern Utah with an average of 15.2 points per game, while teammates Ava Uhrich and Brooklyn Fely both average more than 12 points and over 8.7 rebounds per game.
Southern Utah leads the WAC in rebounding percentage this season, averaging a margin of plus-8.50 rebounds per game over opponents. In response, Utah Valley aims to apply defensive pressure and force turnovers—a strategy that has resulted in at least 25 forced turnovers against Southern Utah in each of their last two meetings.
Several individual milestones are within reach for members of the Wolverines:
“Amanda Barcello needs 11 made 3-pointers to break UVU’s single-season record.”
“Cambree Blackham is four steals away from breaking the single-season record.”
“Utah Valley needs one steal as a team to break the program record for most steals in a single season.”
“Kylee Mabry needs 14 steals to pass Asumi Nakayama for first place on the career steals list.”
Utah Valley will conclude its regular season on Saturday, March 7, hosting Utah Tech in what will be the third meeting between these teams during this campaign’s Old Hammer Rivalry series. Each team has secured a home victory so far this season. Following Saturday’s contest, which begins at 2 p.m., Utah Valley will recognize its seven seniors with a postgame ceremony.
