CEDAR CITY, Utah - Dec. 12 - Southern Utah appeared to have captured the victory at the end of regulation as Jadie Parsons' bucket with 0.5 on the clock gave the Thunderbirds a 71-69 lead, but the T-Bird bench rushed the floor, incurring a technical foul. SUU would then have to wait three overtimes until Cassie Burgess hit the game winner with 0.5 seconds in that frame for the 94-92 victory over Utah Valley on Saturday night.
The thrilling victory moves the Thunderbirds to 3-7 on the year, while UVU drops to 3-9. The win also avenges an earlier loss to the Wolverines this season as the two teams played to a 68-54 Wolverine decision at the Bobcat Basketball Classic over the Thanksgiving break.
"This game was all about heart for our team," head coach JR Payne said. "The girls were tired, but we talked about what this meant to the team as we went into the third overtime and our girls played incredibly tough. I'm proud of everybody's effort on the team tonight."
Southern Utah recorded the first points of the opening half as Chanel Thorley hit a jumper less than a minute into the game. The Thunderbirds had a lead of as great as nine (28-19) late in the first half, but a 15-2 run over the final five minutes of the frame gave the Wolverines a 34-30 lead going into the break.
Utah Valley's Julie Smith was the key for the visitors over the first twenty minutes as the senior scored 19 points to pace the Wolverines. Southern Utah created opportunity after opportunity on its side of the floor, shooting close to 54 percent during the first half, but was hampered by 12 turnovers that led to ten UVU points.
The Thunderbirds opened the second half with a bang, putting together a 9-5 run to tie the game at 39-39. The lead changed hands nine times during the final 16 minutes of regulation with the score also being deadlocked on 13 other occasions. The score was tied 69-69 with 23 seconds to play in the second half when the T-Birds took possession of the ball and Parsons' shot with 0.5 on the clock looked to give the home team the victory before the unfortunate circumstances that resulted in the technical foul being issued to the SUU bench.
Utah Valley's Jenna Johnson was clutch, hitting both free throws to force the first overtime period.
Southern Utah had a two-point lead on three different occasions in the first overtime, but a pesky UVU team remained close through the five-minute period as Asumi Nakayama tied the game at 78-78 with 13 seconds eventually leading to the second overtime.
The Wolverines scored the first two baskets of the second overtime period, building an 82-78 lead before a Burgess layup and a pair of free throws by Caitlyn Sears tied the game again at 82-82. Johnson's layup on the visitor side of the floor with 36 seconds gave Utah Valley a two-point edge, but a pair of free throws from an undaunted Parsons tied the game at 84-84 with 13 seconds left, leading to the third overtime.
Utah Valley, once again, opened the extra time with a pair of baskets to take a four-point lead (88-84), but a pair of free throws and a layup from Burgess tied the game at 88-88 as the sophomore went to the line after being fouled on the drive. Burgess' free throw gave the T-Birds a one-point lead (89-88), but the Wolverines answered with another Johnson layup on the following possession.
Parsons put the Thunderbirds up two the very next possession as her third 3-point basket of the night found its mark with 1:29 to play. Utah Valley then echoed with its answer as Smith dropped in a layup with 28 seconds to play, giving Southern Utah the chance for the final possession. The Thunderbirds made the most of it as Burgess raced past a screen at the top of the key and took a shot with three seconds on the clock. The ball fell short, but the Cedar City native followed her own shot and dropped in an uncontested layup with 0.5 on the clock.
The time was altogether too reminiscent of the second half, but the SUU bench remained composed as a last-ditch shot by UVU missed the mark.
Sears led Southern Utah with a career-high 25 points as Burgess (20) and Parsons (14) also tallied career highs in points during the night. Challis Pascucci recorded her fifth double-double of the season, logging 14 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. UVU's Smith led all scorers with 31 as Johnson (29) and Nakayama (13) also joined her in double figures.
The triple-overtime game was the first in school history for both teams. Southern Utah's scoring performance marked the first time since the 2000-01 season that the Thunderbirds had scored 90 or more points in a single contest.
SUU will be back in action next week as the team begins a four-game stretch in seven days, beginning with the Westminster Griffins as home on Thursday, Dec. 17. Tip-off for that game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
