PULASKI, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee Southern women's basketball team began the 2025 half of the season with an 87-68 Southern States Athletic Conference win over Blue Mountain Christian on Saturday. UTS relied on their pesky defense in both the second and fourth quarters ensuring the blowout win.
Four Firehawks marked the scorebook in double figures. Ashley Dickey led all scorers with 29 points. Daysha Reid added 23 points. Silkiari Vazquez-Troche tossed in 10 points, seven rebounds, and 12 assists. Takiyah Goff contributed 11 points coming off the bench.
Blue Mountain took the opening lead after a UT Southern miss. The Firehawks put a couple of buckets together from Vasquez-Troche, Dickey, and Reid to jump in from 6-3. The Toppers would retake the lead three minutes into the quarter. The Firehawks and Toppers traded the lead three more times over the next four minutes as UTS led 12-11. The Firehawks and Toppers closed out the quarter scoring 10 points each as UTS led 22-21.
UTS was led in the quarter by Dickey with seven points shooting 3-8 from the field. Goff instantly made an impact from her reserve role netting six points in eight minutes. Vazquez-Troche collected six assists in the first 10 minutes.
In the second period, the UTS defense stifled the BMCU offense, only allowing them eight points. The Firehawks stretched out to an 11-point advantage at the break out scoring the toppers 18-8. Dickey added nine points in the quarter giving her 16.
-In the third quarter, both teams combined to score 51 points. UTS shot 7-14 (50%) and BMCU shot 9-15 (60%). The Firehawks opened the quarter's score fest with a Reid jumper to give UTS their largest lead at 13. Over the next six minutes, the Toppers shaved the Firehawk lead down to 49-47. The home team battled back and stretched back out to a 63-57 lead after three quarters. Reid exploded for 13 points in the segment shooting 5-6 from the field including a pair of treys.
In the final quarter, the Firehawks started out with a 13-5 run to deflate the visitors. The Firehawks held their largest lead of the game at 21 with 1:49 left. UTS shot 7-10 (70%) from the field in the final 10 minutes.
BY THE NUMBERS
49.2 – UTS shot 30-61 for 49.2 percent, out shooting the Toppers' 21-58 (36.2%).
20 – UTS connected on 20 of 25 free throws, out shooting the Toppers from the line 80 to 68 percent.
40 – The Firehawks pulled down 40 rebounds in the game, seven more than BMCU
19 – UT Southern had 19 assists, Vazquez-Troche contributed 12 of them.
20 – UTS scored 20 points on breakaway plays, 16 more than Blue Mountain Christian.
16 – The Firehawks pilfered the Toppers pockets 16 times in the match.
23 – UTS forced 23 BMCU turnovers, leading to 32 points.
NEXT UP
The Firehawks will enjoy a week off to prepare to host Loyola on Saturday, January 11. Tipoff is set for noon. UTS defeated LU in the "Crescent City" 74-70 in overtime on November 21.
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