Women's Basketball 1/17/2012 4:32:00 AM SUU Strategic Communication

SUU Suffers Another Setback on the Road

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Jan. 16 – Sophomore forward Carli Moreland collected her sixth double-double of the season with 22 points and 12 rebounds at IUPUI on Monday, but it wouldn't be enough as Southern Utah took a 56-49 loss to the Jaguars.

The Thunderbirds grabbed an early 7-2 lead in the game after Hailey Mandelko added a three to a pair of lay-ups by Moreland and Tayler Anderson. SUU held the advantage throughout the majority of the first half, but the Jaguars stayed right behind, never letting the margin get larger than five points.   Nearing the seven-minute mark Southern Utah held a 20-16 edge after basket from Moreland. But after a three-pointer from Nevena Markoic and a score by Katie Comelo IUPUI would take its first lead of the night at 21-20.

SUU came back with a deep jumper from Andrea Jones, sparking an 8-2 run that saw the Thunderbirds take their largest lead of the ball game going up 31-23 with just over two-minutes left until halftime. The Jaguars closed the half with five-straight points however to trim the deficit to 31-28 going into the break.

Southern Utah was 4-6 from the outside in the opening period and dominated the glass, outrebounding IUPUI 22-12. The Jaguar defense helped keep the home team in the game however as they forced the Thunderbirds into 17 first half turnovers which they converted into 13 points.

The T-Birds started the second half hot as they connected on their first three attempts from the floor to push their lead to eight at 38-30. The Jaguars then answered once again, tallying seven-straight points to pull within one.

Following a pair of free throws by Moreland, IUPUI silenced the Thunderbird offense for another five-point run that helped the Jaguars take the lead at 44-40. IUPUI would then continue applying the pressure, outscoring SUU by a 10-3 count over the next six-minutes to extend its advantage to 11.

Southern Utah made a final push in the final minutes, cutting the deficit to as little as five on a Mandelko three, but the Jaguars were able to hold on for the 56-49 victory.

Carli Moreland was the game's top-rebounder and scorer, finishing with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Hailey Mandelko went 3-6 from behind the arc on her way to 11 points while Andrea Jones came off the bench for nine. The Jaguars had three players finish in the double-figures, as Comello turned in 10 points, Markovic tallied 14 and Kerah Nelson collected 15.

The loss drops Southern Utah to 0-7 in the Summit League and 4-14 overall. The Jaguars improve to 3-4 in conference play and 8-11 on the year.

SUU will be back home this week to host IPFW and Oakland. The Thunderbirds and Mastodons will tip things off in the Centrum Arena this Saturday at 5 p.m. (MT) The game will be the front-end of a doubleheader and will be followed immediately by a matchup between men's team and the 'Dons.

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Players Mentioned

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

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

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

#15 Carli Moreland: F; 6' 1"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

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

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

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

#15 Carli Moreland
: 6' 1"; Sophomore
: F