OREM, Utah - Seattle U women's basketball hits the road for two Western Athletic Conference (WAC) contests this week, taking on Utah Valley and Utah Tech in Utah. The Redhawks will make their first stop in Orem on Thursday evening, facing off with the Wolverines at 5 p.m. pacific time in the UCCU Center. A trip south to St. George on Saturday concludes play for the weekend, with tip off against the Trailblazers scheduled for 1 p.m. pacific time in Burns Arena.
FOLLOW THE REDHAWKS
- Thursday, January 26 at 5 p.m.
- Seattle U (1-16, 1-6 WAC) at Utah Valley (4-15, 1-7 WAC)
- Orem, Utah
- Live Stats
- ESPN+
- Saturday, January 28 at 1 p.m.
- Seattle U at Utah Tech (12-6, 4-3 WAC)
- St. George, Utah
- Live Stats
- ESPN+
HOWARD CAN BALL
Junior Peyton Howard is playing some of her best basketball at the right time, scoring double-digit points in seven of the last ten games. Howard began this stretch with back-to-back 18 point performances against CSUN and Eastern Washington, shooting 42% from the field over the two contests.
The guard from Spokane, Wash., eclipsed that career-high against UC San Diego on Dec. 21, finishing with 21 points after shooting 7-for-15 (46.7%) from the field. In this stretch, Howard has also set new career-highs in rebounds (eight), assists (six) and steals (four).
SCORING CAREER-HIGHS
10 different Redhawks have recorded new career-highs in scoring this season, with Howard's 21 against UC San Diego leading the group. Sophomore Taliyah Clark's new career-best of 20 points came in a victory over UTRGV on December 31, while junior Irena Korolenko recorded 19 points against CSUN back in the middle of December.
Sophomore Julianna Walker and freshman Mya Moore both logged 18 against Portland State and Eastern Washington, respectively, while freshman Noemie Bariteau (12), Asta Blauenfeldt (13), Sheridan Liggett (10) and Makayla Moore (13) have all recorded double-digit games of their own.
BENCH IMPACT
The Redhawks' bench has provided a great scoring punch throughout the season, with seven different players scoring in the double-digits at least once. Junior Irena Korlenko was the latest to do so, scoring 12 points against California Baptist on Jan. 19.
The forward from Redmond, Wash., has logged double-digit points in five games off the bench, while sophomore Julianna Walker and freshman Asta Blauenfeldt, Noemie Bariteau, Sheridan Liggett, Makayla Moore and Mya Moore have all accomplished the feat once.
TOP THREE-POINT PERFORMANCE
Julianna Walker's six made three-pointers against Portland State on November 17 is currently tied for the second best three-point performance in the WAC this season. Only Kaylee Best has made more three-pointers in one game, draining seven at Grand Canyon back in 2017. Courtney Murphy was the last Redhawk to make six, achieving the feat three times in 2019.
Walker currently leads the Redhawks in made three-pointers with 28, while shooting 34.6% from distance. The Tacoma, Wash., native has logged three or more three-pointers in a game three times this season, most recently doing so against California Baptist on Jan. 5.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Utah Valley currently holds the 12th spot in conference with -7.04 resume seeding points, holding an overall recorded of 4-15 with a 1-7 record in WAC play. The Wolverines dropped both their matchups on the road last week, falling to Stephen F. Austin (46-72) and Sam Houston (56-71), marking seven straight losses.
Jaeden Brown is UVU's star player, recording over 20 points and 10 rebounds in each of her last three contests. The Wolverines have struggled to score and shoot from three-point distance this season, ranking last in the WAC with 53.21 points per game and shooting 24.9% from long range. SU currently holds the lead in the all-time series at 12-11, with UVU taking the latest contest 67-61 last February in the Redhawk Center.
Utah Tech sit in the fourth spot on the WAC Resume seeding system with 0.96 points, holding an overall record of 12-6 with a 4-3 record in WAC play. The Trailblazers lost their sole matchup of last week, falling to Southern Utah, 51-62, at home last Thursday. Breaunna Gillen was their top player on the evening, recording 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
The Trailblazers are one of the best scoring offenses in the WAC, average 76.44 points per game and shooting 32.2% from three-point range, ranking second and third in the conference in those categories. Utah Tech blocks the third fewest shots per game (2.44) and grabs the second lowest number of offensive rebounds (9.28) among WAC teams. Last season marked the first two contests between the two schools, with the home team taking the victory in each.
COME SUPPORT
Single game tickets are now available for purchase on ticketmaster. For more information please contact the Seattle U Athletics box office at 206-398-GOSU or seattleutickets@seattleu.edu.
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