Women's Basketball 1/11/2010 5:00:00 PM Southern Utah Athletics

Southern Utah Weathers Late Push to Capture 59-58 Victory over NDSU

CEDAR CITY, Utah - Jan. 11 - SUU junior Challis Pascucci recorded season highs of 18 points and 15 rebounds as the Thunderbirds withstood a late push by North Dakota State to capture a 59-58 victory on Monday night. The win moves the T-Birds to 4-12 on the year and 2-3 in conference play while NDSU drops to 9-7 and 4-2 in the Summit League.

"Challis has been very consistent for us this season and that is huge when you can have a strong inside presence," head coach JR Payne said. "Our intensity was also great again tonight and you can see the confidence building as we continue through the season."

Southern Utah opened the game with a Cassie Burgess jumper and began to build a lead of as much as seven (16-9) midway through the first half. The Thunderbirds used a staunch defensive effort over the first ten minutes, forcing seven turnovers to build the seven-point margin.

However, North Dakota State fought back and answered with a 8-0 run to take its first lead of the half, 17-16 just over two minutes later. The lead would then change hands four times down the final stretch of the first stanza until NDSU's Katie Birkel hit a last-second 3-point basket to give the Bison a 31-28 lead at the break.

Pascucci began the game on a tear, scoring 16 of her 18 points during the first half on 8-of-12 shooting. Pascucci would add 15 rebounds at the final whistle for her sixth double-double of the season.

The game was once again back-and-forth in the second half as the teams swapped the lead five times and found the score tied on three other occasions. It wasn't until a Kaila Goff jumper with 8:34 on the clock that Southern Utah captured a 49-48 advantage that the team would not relinquish.

The T-Bird lead grew to as much as nine (59-50) with 1:46 to play, but an 8-0 Bison run down the stretch caused fans to sit as the edge of their seats. North Dakota State was down only one with 1.4 seconds to play and underneath its own basket, but the Thunderbird defense held to prevail 59-58 at the final whistle.

Pascucci led all players on the floor with her season-highs of 18 points and 15 boards, but was joined in double figures by Caitlyn Sears with 15 points. North Dakota State was led by Abby Plucker with 13 pints and Katie Birkel with 12 points.

Kaila Goff proved to be a difference maker on the defensive side of the ball as she recorded a career-high five steals and tied a season high of five defensive rebounds.

Southern Utah will be back on the road in Summit League action this coming weekend when the T-Birds play at Oakland and IPFW. Tip-off for the games are scheduled for 3:30 p.m. (ET) and 7:00 p.m. (ET) in Rochester and Fort Wayne, respectively.

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Players Mentioned

#13 Kaila Goff: G; 5' 8"; Junior

#24 Challis Pascucci: F; 6' 2"; Junior

#32 Caitlyn Sears: G/F; 5' 10"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#13 Kaila Goff
: 5' 8"; Junior
: G

#24 Challis Pascucci
: 6' 2"; Junior
: F

#32 Caitlyn Sears
: 5' 10"; Junior
: G/F

Players Mentioned

#13 Kaila Goff

#24 Challis Pascucci

#32 Caitlyn Sears

Players Mentioned

#13 Kaila Goff

#24 Challis Pascucci

#32 Caitlyn Sears