Women's Basketball 12/18/2011 5:35:00 AM SUU Strategic Communication

Southern Utah Comes Back, Downs Westminster

CEDAR CITY, Utah Dec. 17 – Southern Utah overcame a slow start to defeat the Westminster Griffins by a final score of 59-57 on Saturday for their second-straight win. The Thunderbirds struggled to score the ball early on but shot nearly 48% in the second half to comeback and claim their sixth consecutive victory over the Griffins.

Andrea Jones made her first appearance of the season for SUU, coming off the bench to help the T-Birds get into a rhythm on offense. The sophomore guard ended the night shooting 4-8 from the field, including two critical three-pointers.

“Andrea provided the spark and energy that we needed tonight,” stated Thunderbird coach JR Payne. “We knew that she would be an important part of our offense and she will be for the rest of the season.”

The Thunderbirds opened the game with a three-pointer from Taylor Maynes who made her first start of the season. The Griffins would tally the next eight points however, as SUU was held scoreless for nearly four minutes until a lay-up by Brenna Gates pulled the T-Birds within three at 8-5. Back-to-back jumpers from Kimie Hawkins and Hailey Mandelko would then help the Thunderbirds take back the lead at 9-8.

Westminster then jumped back out in front as Shelby Ellsworth sank a three from the corner to put her team up 11-8. The basket would start a 17-9 run for Westminster that saw the Griffins hit three more shots from behind the arc. Nicole Yazzie capped the stretch with another three, making it six total for Westminster in the first half, to give the Griffins their largest lead of the game at 28-17.

The Thunderbirds took control in the final minutes of the period behind the scoring of Tayler Anderson who made a trip to the line followed by a lay-up to tally four straight points for SUU. Andrea Jones closed the half by sinking a straightaway three with the clock winding down to cut the deficit to 28-24 going into the break.

The Griffins did the majority of their scoring from behind the three-point line early on, connecting on six of seventeen attempts in the opening half. SUU demonstrated a balanced attack as eight different Thunderbirds recorded a basket in the first 20 minutes of the game.

Southern Utah needed all the offense it could get as Westminster continued to shoot the ball well from the outside, going 4-9 from three-point range in the second half. The Griffins were able to use those shots to hold off the Thunderbirds attempted rallies until Jones broke through with a lay-up to put SUU up 37-36 near the 13- minute mark. She would then add her second three of the game to put Southern Utah up by four.

The Thunderbirds eventually stretched their lead to six as Jones knocked down a pair of free throws to make the score 53-47 in favor of SUU. Westminster would add one more late surge to pull the score even at 55 as Shelby Ellsworth hit a jumper to cap a 8-2 run. Hawkins answered by scoring four straight for SUU who held on for the 59-57 victory.

“Hopefully tonight we learned that we are not capable of playing just one half,” commented Payne. “Everyone has to give more and look to contribute in every way.”

The Thunderbirds only had eight active players available for the game, all of whom played and recorded at least one field goal. Kimie Hawkins had an outstanding night for SUU, setting a new career mark with 19 points. Jones also turned in a strong offensive performance, finishing with 12 points in her first action of the season. Jenteal Jackson led Westminster with 19 while Nicole Yazzie posted 15. The two Griffin guards were a combined 7-12 from the three-point line.

With the win Southern Utah improves to 4-6 on the year while Westminster falls to 5-6. The Thunderbirds will be back in action next week as they travel to nationally ranked Ohio State. The matchup with the Buckeyes is scheduled to begin on Tuesday at 12 p.m. (MST)

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Players Mentioned

#31 Tayler Anderson: G/F; 6' 0"; Junior

#32 Brenna Gates: C; 6' 4"; Freshman

#34 Kimie Hawkins: F; 5' 11"; Junior

#5 Andrea Jones: G; 5' 5"; Sophomore

#23 Hailey Mandelko: G; 5' 8"; Freshman

#24 Taylor Maynes: G; 5' 9"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#31 Tayler Anderson
: 6' 0"; Junior
: G/F

#32 Brenna Gates
: 6' 4"; Freshman
: C

#34 Kimie Hawkins
: 5' 11"; Junior
: F

#5 Andrea Jones
: 5' 5"; Sophomore
: G

#23 Hailey Mandelko
: 5' 8"; Freshman
: G

#24 Taylor Maynes
: 5' 9"; Freshman
: G