Two Rivals faced off in the Dee Events Center on a brisk Thursday night as the Southern Utah University Thunderbirds took on the Weber State University Wildcats as both teams looked to rebound from tough losses.
SUU would claim the win and bragging rights, winning the game 87-71 becoming the fifth team to join the ten win club in the Big Sky so far this season.
The rivalry wasn’t limited to just the schools because two sisters also battled it out on the court in a good old-fashioned sibling rivalry.
WSU Junior guard Liz Graves had to face off against her younger sister, SUU guard Madelyn Eaton.
The younger sister played big for the T-Birds, putting up 14 points and five boards. Graves, Weber’s leading scorer this season, posted eight points and four rebounds of her own.
Despite the loss, there was a silver lining for Weber. Freshman forward Daryn Hickok dropped a career thirty points on a 9-11 field goal percentage. She’s the third player to score 20 or more in a game and the first to hit the 30 point mark this season.
“I wanted to be a leader as well,” Hickok said, “And be someone that other people that come here look up to”
The second half is where Hickok really went to work, scoring 24 out of her 30 points after the break. She didn’t attempt a three all game, making a living in the paint and at the free-throw line, shooting 12-17 from the charity stripe.
Despite the performance, it wasn’t enough to overcome SUU led by senior guard Rebecca Cardenas who led the Thunderbirds in scoring with 18 points.
Southern Utah came at the Wildcats from all directions as every starter scored double digits. Four of them shot over 50 percent from the field for the game.
“We have to learn from game to game and we’re not carrying that over to each and every game” Head Coach Velaida Harris said after the game.
This Wildcat team is very young, and it shows in their play. however, the potential of this team is high, and the mistakes that are costing them games this season will most likely be fixed with age and experience.
Weber falls to 3-16 and 1-9 since the start of conference play. The Wildcat’s last win was against Northern Colorado on Jan. 9, UNC comes to town this Saturday for a rematch.
The Wildcats will look to get back on the right track as they look to sweep the Bears, who are having their own troubles this season, and try and gain enough momentum to make an impact in the Big Sky tournament in Boise.
