Southern Utah Falls in Road Contest at Idaho State

POCATELLO, Idaho, Jan. 10 – Southern Utah used a furious second half effort to erase a 23-point halftime deficit at Idaho State Thursday night, but the Thunderbirds (8-6, 2-2 BSC) efforts at a comeback came up just short as the Bengals (7-7, 2-3 BSC) snapped a four-game losing skid by holding on to win by a final score of 80-71.

The game got off to a rough start for the T-Birds who were only able to manage 18 points on eight first half field goals and trailed by a count of 41-18 at the break. Abyee Maracigan started well for the Bengals, going 3-5 from behind the arc in the first 20 minutes for 13 points. Jessa Jeppesen chipped in another dozen to help the home team build its lead.

It was different story in the second half as the Thunderbirds worked to get back into the game. After SUU matched its opponent basket-for-basket early in the period, Andrea Jones gave her team some momentum with a three that brought the margin to 51-34.

A short while later Sofia Hepworth added a lay-up that made it a 14-point game with the score at 63-49 with seven minutes left to play. The Thunderbirds continued to cut away at the deficit over the next several minutes until a basket by Desiree Jackson brought the team back within ten at 75-65.

The two sides traded free throws in the last two minutes as Hailey Mandelko and Jones each made successful trips to the line to keep things close for SUU. Idaho State would hold on down the stretch however, eventually coming away with 80-71 victory.

Southern Utah forward Carli Moreland turned in her best outing of the season so far in the loss, recording 19 points and 5 rebounds. Sofia Hepworth added another 10 points for the T-Birds on 5-7 shooting. The Bengals got a big performance from Maracigan though who would lead all players with 21 points and 10 rebounds.

ISU shot the ball 46 percent as a team and posted a 40-35 rebounding advantage. The Thunderbirds bounced back in the second half to up their shooting mark to 44 percent, but were just 2-12 from the outside.

Up next for Southern Utah is its first Big Sky meeting with rival Weber State. The Thunderbirds will face the Wildcats in Ogden this Saturday at 2 p.m. Live coverage of the game can be found at www.suutbirds.com.

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Players Mentioned

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

#3 Desiree Jackson: G; 5' 10"; Redshirt Sophomore

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

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

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

Players Mentioned

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

#3 Desiree Jackson
: 5' 10"; Redshirt Sophomore
: G

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

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

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