CEDAR CITY, Utah – Southern Utah women's basketball cleaned up an 82-64 win over New Mexico Highlands.
Five minutes into the game, the Thunderbirds led just 11-9. Southern Utah jumped ahead to 23-16 before taking a nine-point run to extend its lead to 31-16. The Cowgirls battled back to decrease Southern Utah's lead to 43-36 at the half.
“In the first half, although our defense was pretty technically sound, we weren't putting on the pressure that we wanted,” coach Chris Boettcher said. “They were able to get the shots. It was the lack of our pressure.”
Desiree Jackson led the T-Birds in the first half with 10 points as freshman Madison Wright added seven. Jackson tacked on three steals in the half.
Southern Utah held a 10-point lead just a few minutes into the second half before the Cowgirls crept back to come within five points. The Thunderbirds regained momentum with an 18-point run, which guided them to a big 82-64 win.
“It doesn't matter what happens on the offensive end, if we stay consistent defensively we will be in a lot of games,” Boettcher stated. “We have to maintain the mentality of being physically strong.”
Jackson and Iva Georgieva led the Thunderbirds with 14 points each. Hailey Mandelko snagged fives steals in the matchup.
The Thunderbirds hit the road to take on Utah Valley on Dec. 2 at 7:05 p.m. Fans can follow the game via live stat link at suutbirds.com.
