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Show Fail to make playoffs SU women end with split (who is getting married and probably won't be back next season), will be gone from the squad, from the squad. Everyone else is scheduled back. "We have a good nucleus from which to build for next year," Peterson explains: "We'll look for a couple of experienced junior college players and a good passing guard. If we can get what we are looking for, we should be tough next year." Although SUSC was smaller than most teams it faced this year, Peterson isn't overly concerned about size. "Jacklin, Grover, and Burgoyne late in the year did a good job for us. We weren't really hurt despite our smaller size." Statistically, the T-Bird women were characterized charac-terized by balanced scoring and a trio of strong rebounders. Rosemary Jacklin, sophomore from Pleasant Grove, led the scoring with 11.4 points' per game. She was the only player averaging in double figures. Close behind in point production, however were Smith (9.1), senior from Ogden; Whetton (8.7), junior from North Salt Lake; and Gloria Grover (8.4), a freshman from Blanding. "Grover was just super tough in our last three or four games," Peterson praises. Rebounding was led by Jacklin (9.3 per game), Grover (9.2), and Paula Burgoyne (6.2), a freshman fresh-man from Cedar City. The T-Birds also got solid rebounding from Joyce Hickman, a freshman from Magna, and Becky Peterson, a freshman from Bountiful. Denice Long, a sophomore from Las Vegas, Nev.led the team in assists. Smith was the best free throw shooter' (76.9 percent accuracy), and Grover topped the club in fieldgoal shooting (47.5 percent accuracy). "It was an upbeat way to end the season," Peterson says. "I think we are all looking forward for-ward to next year." "In spite of our overall record, it was a super way to finish a season," is the way Southern Utah State College Women's Basketball Coach Joy Peterson sums up the 1980-81 year. In all games, the Thunderbird women won six times and lost 15. Against Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opponents, the 'Birds won two and lost six, however, SUSC came on strong late in the season to extend Adams State, force Mesa into overtime in a road game, and upset Western State 80-79 on the road. Adams State was the eventual RMAC Western Division champion. Southern Utah finished in a fourth place tie with Mesa in the five-team division. "We feel that we came on very strong late in the year, after we got a little experience under our belts. We also learned in our last series of games what a little intensity will do for a team," Peterson says. Only two players, senior Natalie Smith and junior Chris Whetton |