The Weber State University women’s basketball team fell short in a double-overtime game against Southern Utah at the Dee Events Center on Jan. 23. Despite the extended game, the Wildcats lost 74–76.

“I thought our kids played tough,” head coach Velaida Harris said.

WSU started a little slow and went down by 12 in the first quarter, but they found their groove and ended the half up 33–30. The Wildcats got their biggest lead of seven points in the third quarter, but the Thunderbirds caught up, and the game was tied at the end of regulation.

The first overtime could not separate the teams with the score tied at 70. Near the end of the second overtime, the Wildcats were down three. They ended up going for a layup, trying to get an and-one. Although they did end up getting fouled, they did not make the basket.

“We were a little sporadic at the end of regulation because we were in a situation where we could win the game, which we hadn’t been in,” Harris said.

The Wildcats fought hard together, but they knew there were some things in need of improvement.

“I think our kids really played hard, played together, stayed together the entire time,” Harris said. “But there’s points in the game we need an easy bucket, and sometimes we just make it difficult for ourselves.”

Harris thought there were some missed calls, and the officials would not give her a timeout. However, she says she does not blame the outcome of the game on those things.

The game’s leading scorer was SUU’s Cherita Daugherty with 24 points. She also had four assists, seven rebounds and two steals.

The Wildcats had two players score 16 points. One was Jadyn Matthews, who contributed three assists and 11 rebounds. The other player was Daryn Hickok, who added three rebounds and two steals.

The Wildcats had 22 turnovers compared to SUU’s 25. Weber scored 19 points off those turnovers, while the Thunderbirds scored 24. Both teams had 36 points from the paint. Weber State got 10 second-chance points compared to Southern Utah’s 12 points. The Wildcats got 11 points from the fast break, while SUU got eight. Weber State won the bench points battle 25–2.

The Wildcats’ next game is Jan. 28 at 6pm at the Dee Events Center.