MOBILE, Ala. - UT Southern opened Southern States Athletic Conference play in emphatic fashion Thursday night, cruising to a 96–56 road victory over Mobile inside Pharr Gymnasium. The Firehawks controlled the game from the opening tip, shot 45 percent from the floor, and put six players in the scoring column by the first quarter on their way to their largest scoring output of the season.
Firehawk Leaders
Ashley Dickey: 22 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals
Ramie Reid: 20 points, 9 rebounds, 1 block
Silkiari Vazquez-Troche: 14 points, 5 assists, 4 steals, 4 rebounds
Taya Totten: 11 points, 3 rebounds
Marypaz Martinez: 8 points, 1 rebound
First Quarter – Firehawks Come Out on Fire
UT Southern set the tone immediately. Lauren Smith scored on the opening possession after Ramie Reid grabbed an offensive rebound, and Reid followed with a layup moments later for a 6–4 lead.
Silkiari Vazquez-Troche sparked the game's first run with back-to-back layups, then knocked down two free throws to push the advantage to 14–8.
Ashley Dickey entered and immediately delivered a jumper, followed by a deep three from the right wing. Mia Jones added pressure defensively, grabbing a steal that set up more offensive momentum. UTS closed the quarter with free throws from Reid and Dickey to lead 23–14 after one, shooting an impressive 80 percent in the period.
Second Quarter – UTS Turns the Game Into a Rout
The Firehawks wasted no time stretching the margin. Dickey opened the quarter with two free throws and immediately followed with a steal that led to a transition layup by Vazquez-Troche.
Reid added a layup off another Dickey steal, and Totten knocked down four straight free throws to make it 31–14. Jones buried a corner three, and Vazquez-Troche attacked again at the rim for a 38–18 lead.
UTS continued to control the glass and play downhill, scoring 24 points in the quarter while holding Mobile to just 13. Dickey punctuated the half with five points in the final seconds, including a jumper and free throws, giving the Firehawks a commanding 47–27 lead at the break.
Third Quarter – Firehawks Keep Pouring It On
After halftime, Reid continued her dominance inside with another offensive rebound and finish. Dickey added free throws, and Totten finished a driving layup to stretch the lead to 53–27.
Reid and Vazquez-Troche combined for a quick scoring burst in the middle of the quarter, highlighted by a driving layup from Reid and free throws from both starters.
Ashley Dickey drilled another three from the top of the arc, and Marypaz Martinez added a layup as the Firehawks outscored Mobile 23–11 in the third to lead 70–38 heading into the final period.
Fourth Quarter – Bench Closes the Night in Style
Martinez opened the fourth with two free throws and a three-pointer set up by Vazquez-Troche to push the Firehawks past 75 points. Totten added another three, and Mia Jones scored on a fast-break finish to make it 89–51.
Late in the quarter, the Firehawks emptied the bench, but the scoring didn't slow. Lauren Smith added a free throw, Taylor Gerard hit a mid-range jumper, Debrionna Jones converted at the line, and Emma Bryant buried a three from the left wing to cap UT Southern's night.
UTS finished with 97 points, its most in a game this season, and held Mobile under 30 percent shooting.
UT Southern shot 45.2 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from three, and 75 percent at the free-throw line. The Firehawks outrebounded Mobile 44–31 and produced 15 second-chance points. UTS also shot a season-high 44 free throws, converting 33.
Next Game
UT Southern continues its conference road trip on Saturday, November 22, at Faulkner.
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