Women's Basketball 11/11/2012 5:33:00 AM SUU Strategic Communication

Second Unit Powers SUU to Victory Over Southern Oregon

CEDAR CITY, Utah Nov. 10 – Sofia Hepworth came off the bench to lead Southern Utah to a 99-71 win over Southern Oregon in the team's regular season opener on Saturday night. The junior transfer player had 21 points in a game that saw the Thunderbird reserves record 60 points.

“Sofia did exactly what we expect her to do for us, she is instant offense,” explained SUU head coach JR Payne. “She is also a great teammate and brings a terrific spirit to this team.”

SUU guard Hailey Mandelko opened the game with a three pointer from the left wing, but the Raiders quickly answered with a driving score by Ashley Claussen that started a 6-0 run to go up 6-3. The Thunderbirds came back with four straight to retake the lead at 7-6.

The two sides then traded baskets until Southern Utah's second unit sparked a run in a five-minute stretch that saw SUU bench players record nine straight points, including five from Hepworth, to help the T-Birds take a 20-14 lead.

Junior guard Melissa Sweat helped Southern Oregon rally as she scored 13 consecutive points for her team, including three shots from the outside, to help the Raiders go up 27-26.

The T-Birds bounced back with an 11-3 run as Hepworth racked up eight more points and Marissa Robbins dropped in a corner three to put Southern Utah out in front by a count of 37-29.

The Raiders narrowed the margin to one at 40-39 in the closing minutes of the period, but the Thunderbirds put up six points in final 60 seconds, capped by a put-back lay-up by Lori Parkinson just before the horn to take a 46-39 advantage into the locker room.

Southern Oregon's Sweat led all scorers at the break after going 7-13 from the field for 21 points. Hepworth came off the bench to lead Southern Utah with 15 in the opening half. As a team the T-Birds shot 44.7 percent from the floor in the early going and held a 22-16 advantage on the boards.

Mandelko opened the second half the same way she started the game as she knocked down another three-pointer to push the SUU advantage into the double-digits. She then put up four more points as the Thunderbirds started the period on a 15-4 run that pushed the margin to 18 points with the score at 61-43.

Junior forward Carli Moreland paced Southern Utah with six points over the next five minutes to keep the advantage steady as the score went to 76-56 halfway through the period.

The SUU lead would grow to as much as 32 points in the closing minutes before the Thunderbirds eventually took the game by a final score of 99-71.

The Southern Utah offense started the season strong recording its highest scoring total since the 2010-11 season while shooting 42.3 percent from the floor. The T-Birds also held a 56-39 rebounding advantage and went 30-45 from the foul line.

Five Thunderbirds turned in double-digit scoring performances including Hepworth with 21, Mandelko at 18, Moreland with 11 and Hawkins and Jones who each had 12. Moreland also pulled down 13 rebounds to start the year with a double-double. Sweat finished with 26 for the Raiders who got another 13 from forward Alexi
Smith.

“I thought we played really well in spurts,” commented Payne. “Overall it was a great win and it was good that everyone got to play.”

Next up for the T-Birds is a trip north for an in-state clash with the University of Utah. SUU will take on the Utes in Salt Lake City on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

#13 Sofia Hepworth: G; 5' 6"; Junior

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

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

#20 Lori Parkinson: F; 6' 1"; Freshman

#12 Marissa Robbins: F; 5' 11"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#13 Sofia Hepworth
: 5' 6"; Junior
: G

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

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

#20 Lori Parkinson
: 6' 1"; Freshman
: F

#12 Marissa Robbins
: 5' 11"; Junior
: F