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Southern Utah women top Abilene Christian in conference shootout

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Southern Utah women top Abilene Christian in conference shootout


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CEDAR CITY — The Southern Utah women’s basketball team ended a four-game skid Saturday with a 82-80 victory over the Abilene Christian Wildcats.

The win moves the Thunderbirds to 5-13 on the season and 3-6 in Western Athletic Conference play. Just ahead of Southern Utah in the WAC standings, the Wildcats now have an 8-10 overall record and 4-5 conference record.

Both teams shot over 50% from the field, with Southern Utah going 30-of-57 and Abilene Christian going 32-of-64. Despite making fewer shots, Southern Utah made twice as many 3-pointers than its visitors. Their 10 made shots from beyond the arc gave them their highest total this season, with five of them coming from the hands of senior guard Samantha Johnston.

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Johnston attempted nothing but 3-pointers in the game, plus two free throws, to give her a total of 17 points on the afternoon.

Freshman sensation Ava Uhrich was the star for the Thunderbirds, though, recording her sixth double-double of the season. She scored a career-high 25 points to accompany her 12 rebounds.

Leading all scorers was Abilene Christian’s Payton Hull, who had 27 points on 11-of-18 shooting, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range.

The teams traded the lead just twice in the first half, and both times happened in the first three minutes of play. Southern Utah led for the other 17, building their largest advantage to 11 points. Uhrich scored 13 of the Thunderbirds’ 50 first-half points to lead all scorers, and the teams headed into halftime at 50-41.

Southern Utah maintained a double-digit lead for the majority of the third quarter and it was their best shooting period. They went 7-of-11 from the field while holding the Wildcats to 8-of-17.

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It wasn’t until there was 2:25 left in the game when Abilene Christian knotted up the score at 77-all.

The Wildcats stayed steady to score 19 points in the final period of play and kept Southern Utah to 10 points, allowing just four field goals. After a layup by Uhrich returned the Thunderbirds’ lead, Hull made a 3-point shot to give Abilene Christian a 1-point edge.

One more Uhrich layup put the Thunderbirds back on top. The final eight seconds featured a steal from Southern Utah’s Ashley Banks, a successful Uhrich free throw and a block of the Wildcats’ final shot by Johnston, sealing an 82-80 win.

Southern Utah, as they frequently have this season, struggled when it came to turnovers. They lost the ball 15 times, more than double Abilene Christian’s total. The Wildcats scored 20 points off turnovers, accounting for 25% of their scoring.

WAC play will continue for both teams on Thursday as Southern Utah takes on UT Arlington and Abilene Christian takes on Tarleton State.

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5 vehicles hit exercise equipment on I-15 near Arizona-Utah border

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5 vehicles hit exercise equipment on I-15 near Arizona-Utah border


SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Five vehicles collided with a piece of exercise equipment on I-15 near the Arizona-Utah border on Friday, according to Beaver Dam/Littlefield Fire Department.

At around 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 9, fire personnel responded to an incident involving five vehicles on I-15 Southbound at Mile Marker 17. Crews arrived on scene to find “slightly used exercise equipment” in the middle of the road, officials said.

Five vehicles collided with a piece of exercise equipment on I-15 near the Arizona-Utah border on Friday. (Courtesy: Beaver Dam/Littlefield Fire Department)

A total of 14 people were involved in the collisions, though only one was taken to the hospital, St. George Regional, as a result.

“Please drive defensively; Keep your eyes on the road,” a social media post from Beaver Dam/Littlefield Fire states.

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No further information is available at this time.



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Analysis: Utah’s fight was there against No. 9 BYU, but the little details cost Utes a shot at the upset

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Analysis: Utah’s fight was there against No. 9 BYU, but the little details cost Utes a shot at the upset


Utah couldn’t get enough defensive stops Saturday night against No. 9 BYU in the latest rivalry matchup at the Huntsman Center.

The Runnin’ Utes, though, made the Cougars work for the victory, even as a heavy underdog.

There are no moral victories in this bitter rivalry, but if Utah can show progress moving forward from BYU’s harder-than-expected 89-84 victory, this kind of effort won’t go in vain.

“I think it was, there was a lot of little things, a lot of game plan things, little details that I don’t know if we just forgot or didn’t pay attention to,” Utah first-year coach Alex Jensen said about what cost Utah against the Cougars.

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“Down the stretch, we’ve talked about it for a while because we’re going to give up size to other teams, but giving up the offensive (boards), it’s hard to get a stop and then they get the offensive rebounds. It’s a hard thing to come back from, especially the last few minutes.”

Jensen lamented his team’s defensive effort against the Cougars multiple times in the postgame press conference — BYU was able to shoot 50% in the game, and the Cougars held a 41-33 rebounding edge.

Senior Richie Saunders, who had never beaten Utah in the Huntsman Center until Saturday, was especially destructive on the boards. He had 14, including six on the offensive end, and helped BYU have a 16-10 edge in offensive boards and 19-14 in second-chance points.

“It’s hard to give up 89 points and win, right?” Jensen said. “And if you look at all the good teams in college that win, (they) are the other teams that defend and rebound.”

Utah has made giving BYU headaches in the Huntsman a routine thing. Even though the Cougars are the program on the ascent, the Utes still won their last two games in the series played at the storied venue.

Utah even pumped some belief into the packed house multiple times over the course of the game that it could stun BYU again.

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The Utes got out to a 7-0 start in the game, then matched BYU punch for punch in the first half before going into the break down two after a questionable foul call resulted in two free throws from AJ Dybantsa just before the half.

Though BYU eventually built a 13-point lead in the second half, the Utes fought back again and made it a one-possession game multiple times down the stretch.

That included cutting it to 81-80 on two Terrence Brown free throws with 3:15 to play.

Then, the Utes had a defensive stop in the final minute down three, but a costly turnover — just Utah’s ninth of the night — gave BYU the ball back with eight seconds remaining.

Two Saunders free throws followed that turnover from Brown, and with that, the Utes’ fight came up short.

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Brown and Don McHenry showed up well in their introduction to the rivalry, as the dynamic scoring guards accounted for more than half of Utah’s points.

Brown had a game-high 25 points to go with five assists, three rebounds and two blocked shots, while McHenry had 21 points, two assists, two rebounds and a steal.

“Coach was just just saying you should be excited to play in a game like this,” Brown said. “… It was just a good opportunity, and it was definitely exciting.”

Fifth-year forward James Okonkwo provided a spark in front of a raucous crowd, to the tune of 13 rebounds, four points and two assists.

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“James has been great the last two games. It’s great because it leads us with a physicality and just his presence, and that’s kind of what we want from him as a fifth-year senior,” Jensen said.

“The last two games, he’s been great and hopefully we get that, that same James going forward.”

Speaking of the crowd, the Utes noticed just how much a packed house for the first time this season — call it the annual rivalry effect — brought an energy to an arena that is often far too quiet as Utah tries to rebuild a once-proud program.

“I think the MUSS did a really good job of, like energizing us. It was a different level of energy in the game today, and it was really encouraging,” Okonkwo said.

“We went out on a really good run to start the game, and you could just feel it. We were locked in and it was really fun.”

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It wasn’t enough to best BYU’s Big 3. Dybantsa, the projected lottery pick, had 20 points, six rebounds and four assists, Saunders tossed in 24 points and grabbed 14 rebounds (six offensive), while Rob Wright III added 23 points and six assists.

Can Utah learn from this game and take some lessons into the rest of Big 12 play?

Yes, the Utes are likely to lose the majority of their games the remainder of the season — they are the worst-ranked Big 12 team in the NET and KenPom, by a sizable margin — but Utah also showed that it’s progressing, even if incrementally.

“Honestly, like we have enough — we’re going to be so good when we clean up just a little mistakes,“ Okonkwo said. ”Honestly, that’s my opinion.

“That’s what (coach) was kind of harping on about in the locker room, just staying consistent. Just get better every day.”

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Utah Jazz Run Into Familiar Face vs Charlotte Hornets

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Utah Jazz Run Into Familiar Face vs Charlotte Hornets


As the Utah Jazz look to take on the Charlotte Hornets for their second of two meetings for the season, it’ll mark the first time that a familiar face, Collin Sexton, returns to the Delta Center since his offseason trade to the East Coast.

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Earlier in this past offseason, Sexton was sent to the Hornets along with a pair of future second-round picks in exchange for veteran center Jusuf Nurki. It was a deal that was a bit criticized from Utah’s perspective upon initially going down, but in the time since, has seen both players find their way into notable roles with their new squads.

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While Nurkic is listed as questionable to suit up for the action against his former team, Sexton seems ready to go against his, and could even start back in Utah after having previously done so in the Hornets’ latest game against the Indiana Pacers; a game they fell short in 112-114.

So, not only will Sexton be looking for a bounce-back win off a loss, but he could have an extra chip on his shoulder to perform well against his former team as well.

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Collin Sexton Returns to Utah as Jazz Take on Hornets

Sexton was a part of the Jazz for three seasons from 2022 to 2025 after initially coming aboard as a part of the extensive Donovan Mitchell and Lauri Markkanen trade as a sign-and-trade acquisition, and for the tenure that he was in Salt Lake City, was a pretty significant part of the roster––playing a total of 189 games, starting in 120 of them.

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In that time, Sexton averaged 17.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists while shooting 48.8% from the field and 39.8% from three, being a consistent offensive piece in the backcourt next to a growing Keyonte George and, at the time, his fellow veteran guard, Jordan Clarkson.

However, the Jazz, during their latest offseason, made the inevitable shift to focus on their young talent in place of Sexton after three good years of being a core rotational piece, sending him to Charlotte for his third team since being drafted to the Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2018.

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Nov 2, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Collin Sexton (8) on defense against Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) during the first quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

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Since being in Charlotte, Sexton has remained about as steady as he was in Utah––averaging 15.2 points a night on 48.3% from the field, paired with 2.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, filling in once again as a valuable locker room add and veteran teammate to help bring along the Hornets’ developing roster.

Last time he went up against the Jazz, it was on his new home floor in Charlotte, making for a pretty brutal game from the Jazz, as they were blown out by Sexton and the Hornets, 103-126 at the beginning of November, which also made for the first time Utah was without Walker Kessler after he was ruled out for the season due to shoulder surgery on a torn labrum.

The Jazz will try and even up their season series, looking a bit different from that two-month span, and will be forced to do so without the services of Lauri Markkanen (rest) and Ace Bailey (hip), thus giving a brighter green light for Keyonte George to have another explosive night scoring the ball, this time against his former teammate.

Be sure to bookmark Utah Jazz On SI and follow @JazzOnSI on X to stay up-to-date on daily Utah Jazz news, interviews, breakdowns and more!

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