SAN DEIGO, Calif. ? Nov. 23 ? Southern Utah women's basketball dropped a 63-45 decision to the Toreros of San Diego on Friday night as the Thunderbirds' losing streak has now hit four. On the year, SUU is 1-4 while USD improves to 3-2.
Neither team was able to find a shooting touch in the beginning of the first half. San Diego put the first points on the board following the first two minutes of the game, but the Thunderbirds countered with a basket of their own on the very next possession.
Shooting percentages once again dropped and it wasn't until four minutes later when freshman Challis Pascucci connected on the back end of a one and one that the Thunderbirds had the first lead of the game at 3-2.
The teams continued to struggle as the Thunderbirds and Toreros swapped leads throughout the rest of the half, until a mini 5-0 run for USD at the end of the half translated into a three-point (21-18) advantage going into the break.
San Diego carried the closing momentum into the beginning of the second half, turning the 5-0 run into a 13-0 run for the early 29-18 advantage in the first three minutes.
The home team maintained its double-digit lead throughout the half with Southern Utah slicing the lead to as close as ten (36-26) with 14 minutes to play. However, the Thunderbirds were not able to counter the opening run and fell in the end 63-45.
Erin Heuett led all Southern Utah scorers with 12 points as Anne Westwood, Kaila Goff and Hailee Truman each collected seven. USD's Kiva Herman led all scorers with 14 as Amanda Rego and Sam Child also recorded double-digit scoring nights with 11.
Southern Utah was out rebounded for only the second time this year in the 49-39 differential. Hailee Truman collected a game-high eight rebounds on the night to lead the Thunderbirds.
SUU had its best performance from behind the 3-point arc during the evening, connecting on 5-of-12 from downtown. Heuett led the charge shooting 2-of-3 from long range.
Southern Utah will now return home for its next contest when the Thunderbirds host the Beavers of Oregon State University on Monday, Nov. 26. Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
