Women's Basketball 1/4/2012 5:10:00 AM SUU Strategic Communication

Thunderbird Rally Comes Up Just Short

CEDAR CITY, Utah – Jan. 3 – Sophomore forward Carli Moreland posted 22 points and 17 rebounds against visiting San Jose State Tuesday, but it wouldn't be enough as late comeback attempt by Southern Utah came up just short as the Spartans held on for a 70-68 victory.

The two teams went back and forth early on, reaching a 6-6 tie after four minutes of play. Moreland got off to a fast start for the Thunderbirds, scoring four of the first six points for SUU. The Thunderbirds would then go on a 12-2 run as Moreland added four more points while Hailey Mandelko and Andrea Jones both connected from the outside to help their team go up by a margin of 18-8.

The Spartans quickly rallied with six straight points and after a Tayler Anderson free throw trailed by just five with the score at 19-14 in favor of SUU near the 12-minute mark. Both teams then went cold as the next three minutes of the game went without any scoring until a jumper by San Jose State's Brea Matthew pulled the Spartans within three at 19-16.

Mandelko would sink another three to put SUU back up by five near the end of the opening period. The final five minutes of the half belonged to San Jose State however as Sara Plavljanin sank three shots from behind the arc to help the Spartans score 16 unanswered on their way to an 11-point lead. Hawkins finally closed the half with a put-back lay-up to stop the run and set the score at 37-28 heading into the break.

Moreland did the bulk of the scoring for Southern Utah in early-going, racking up 10 points while going 5-5 from the floor. The sophomore forward also pulled down six rebounds during the first 20 minutes to help the Thunderbirds build a 25-18 edge on the boards in the opening period. San Jose State would get a dozen from Johnson in the first half and another 11 from Plavljanin.

The Spartans stretched their lead back into the double-figures early on in the second half, and were then able to withstand various attempted rallies by SUU. The T-Birds were able to cut the deficit on several occasions, even coming within six-points halfway through the period as a driving lay-up by Anderson made the score 53-47. San Jose State would come up with another big run to go back up by 13 at 64-51.

With just over six-minutes remaining in the game Southern Utah would mount one last rally in which the Thunderbirds outscored the Spartans 12-0 over a three- minute period to pull within a single point of San Jose. SJSU would then tally a couple of baskets to go back up by five, but SUU answered once again as a pair of free throws by Mandelko cut the advantage to one with 12 seconds remaining. Following a made free throw by Johnson the T-Birds took possession trailing 70-68 with 11 seconds on the clock. Mandelko quickly brought the ball up the court and found Hawkins who fired a jumper that was just partially deflected by Myesha Broaden. Moreland was there to grab the loose ball and fire up another shot but her try was just off the mark as the horn sounded to seal the victory for the visiting Spartans.

Carli Moreland had a career night for the Thunderbirds in the loss, finishing the game with 22 points and 17 rebounds. Kimie Hawkins would also post a double double, pulling down 14 boards to go along with her 12 points. Brittany Johnson led all scorers with 28 points, 12 of which came from the free throw line. Sara Plavljanin and Ta'Rea Cunnigan each tallied 15 from the guard line for SJSU.

With the win San Jose State improves to 4-10 on the year and has come away with a victory in three of its last five outings. Southern Utah suffers its fourth straight defeat to fall to 4-10 this season while holding a Summit League mark of 0-3. The Thunderbirds will be at home again this Saturday as they host North Dakota State at 5 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

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

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

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

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

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

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