The Alta Hawks waltzed into their match on Friday with ten straight wins but they left with 11. They came out on top against Highland by a score of 43-35. Despite the victory, that was the fewest points Alta has scored all year.
It was another big night for Leafa Niumeitolu, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and ten rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Aolele Liavaa, who scored eight points along with four steals.
When it comes to explaining why Highland lost, one person who can't be blamed is Danae Asiata. Despite the final result, she scored 17 points. That was a full 48.6% of Highland's points, marking the third time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points.
Highland struggled to work together and finished the game with only an assist. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as Alta racked up ten assists.
Alta's win was their ninth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-2. They've been dominating during the matches in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 29.1 points. As for Highland, they still haven't won a game yet this season and fell to 0-15.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Alta will take on the Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are closely ranked in Utah (West is ranked 27th, while the Hawks are ranked 24th). Highland is on the road again on Tuesday and plays the Leopards at 5:15 p.m. on February 6th. East is coming into the contest on a five-game losing streak.
