CEDAR CITY – Southern Utah suffered a scoring drought throughout the Montana matchup, resulting in a 59-37 Big Sky loss.
“In this business you have enough nights like this that you just know, you have to let games like this go,” head coach Chris Boettcher said. “We've got to find a way to get back to the drawing board and show people that we are a team that can compete at the top of this league. I'm encouraged by the things we can do but I'm discouraged by the way we came out.”
The Thunderbirds shot just 18.8% from the field and 17.4% from beyond the arch, guiding the Grizzlies to an easy win.
Iva Georgieva led Southern Utah in scoring with 10 points as Marquelle Funk and Brenna Gates added seven and six, respectively. Desiree Jackson and Georgieva each totaled three steals. Jessica Richardson tacked up eight rebounds in the loss.
“That was a terrible game. We came out with no energy and no execution,” Georgieva said. “Sometimes we think it's going to be easy. If we play like that I don't think we can win conference.”
The Grizzlies took a seven-point run to open the game before Brenna Gates finished a layup to put SUU on the scoreboard. Montana responded with a quick bucket before Jackson finished a drive to push within seven. The Grizzles rallied to extend its lead to 19-4 before Donna Koerber tacked in a layup and a pair of free throws for the Thunderbirds.
The scoring rampage continued for the Grizzlies as they extended their lead to 20 with just over five minutes remaining in the first half. Back-to-back three-pointers from Funk and a Georgieva drive decreased Montana's lead to 12. The first half rounded out with a layup from Gates to place Southern Utah behind Montana, 33-21 to enter halftime.
Funk led the Thunderbirds in the first half with seven points as Gates added six. Jackson led the team in assists with two. Southern Utah shot just 22.6% from the field in the opening half and 22.2% from beyond the arch.
“We did not play well tonight as a team. It was a lack of effort and heart on our part,” Funk commented. “I do think we put forth a great deal of energy into trying to get back into the game the whole time and I think we fought hard. But it just wasn't a successful night for us.”
Jackson found Richardson in the paint to open the second half for the Thunderbirds before Georgieva nailed a three to force a 10-point game. Southern Utah couldn't manage to finish its shots as Montana extended its lead to 19. Koerber and Richardson each went 1-2 from the free throw line before the scoring drought returned to SUU, leaving Montana with an 18-point lead with less than seven minutes to play.
Georgieva knocked in a fast break layup and a trey to put the Thunderbirds within 13 before the Grizzlies, once again, extended their lead to 20 with 2 remaining. Southern Utah couldn't get an offense rolling, resulting in a 59-37 loss.
Southern Utah continues conference play by hitting the road to face Northern Arizona on Jan. 31 to launch its three-game road trip.
