CEDAR CITY, Utah – Southern Utah women's basketball opened its season in exhibition by defeating Colorado Mesa University, 98-59.
The Mavericks kept up with the Thunderbirds in the first half, tying at 10, before Southern Utah took off on a 23-7 scoring streak to jump ahead, 34-17. Sydnee Taylor nailed a three at the buzzer to wrap up the first half with a 58-26 lead. Hailey Mandelko totaled 18 points in the first half and went 4-6 from beyond the arch.
“We ran our motion and played strong defense,” Mandelko said. “Everyone proved themselves really well today. We had a lot of drives and we spaced out the floor really well to open things up.”
Southern Utah kept the scoring rolling in the second half, finishing the game with a 98-59 win. Mandelko lead the Thunderbirds with 20 points as Desiree Jackson and Taylor Baird chipped in 15 and 13, respectively.
“The returners came out focused. They set the tone and executed the things that we've worked on,” head coach Chris Boettcher commented. “I'm really happy with the way we played defensively.”
The Thunderbirds will take a two-week break before hosting Boise State in the Centrum Arena on Friday, Nov. 21, at 7 p.m.
