CEDAR CITY, Utah - Jan. 25 - Southern Utah used a balanced effort from a trio of double-digit scorers as the Thunderbirds posted a 57-52 victory over the IUPUI Jaguars on Monday night, marking the team's second consecutive win in as many games. The win moves the T-Birds to 6-14 overall and 4-5 in conference play. The Jaguars dropped to 2-18 and 1-8 with the loss.
"I was really pleased with our composure tonight," head coach JR Payne said after the game. "The team stayed together when we were up and down during the game and I hope that means that we are turning a corner at this point in the season."
Both teams got out to a rocky start as the teams combined for as many points as turnovers during the first six minutes. A pair of free throws by IUPUI's Kerah Nelson gave the Jaguars their largest lead of the game at six (9-3) with 11:23 in the first half, but it was then that the T-Birds made an 12-6 run to take a 15-13 lead and never looked back.
The margin grew to as much as 12 (27-15) as Challis Pascucci hit a free throw with 1:15 to play, but a pair of free throws and jumper by IUPUI down the stretch cut the gap to eight (27-19) going into the half. Freshman Jadie Parsons had the hot hand for the T-Birds in the first half, scoring ten points, including a pair of long range buckets from the corner.
Southern Utah started the second stanza sluggish as the team had done on Saturday night as IUPUI came back to tie that game at 31-31, six minutes into the second half. The lead changed hands twice over the next two minutes, but a Pascucci layup with 12:02 to play put the Thunderbirds up for good. Gretchen Gaskin's 3-point basket for IUPUI cut the lead to one (46-45) with 5:22 on the clock, but it was the closest the Jaguars would come as free throws from Pascucci, Caitlyn Sears and Kaila Goff down the stretch sealed the 57-52 SUU victory.
Pascucci led the Thunderbirds with 14 points and recorded 13 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season. Sears and Parsons joined her in double figures with ten points each as Goff tied her career high with nine assists during the night. IUPUI's Nelson led all scorers with a game-high 21 points.
Southern Utah will have a single game this week as the team begins the second half of the conference season when the Thunderbirds host UMKC on Saturday night in the Centrum. The Kangaroos captured a 71-58 victory over the T-Birds in Kansas City earlier this season. The rematch is scheduled to tip at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday night.
