CEDAR CITY, Utah – Southern Utah defeated Idaho State in tight battle to earn a 76-75 win. Ashleigh Munns exploded from the field as she led the Thunderbirds with a career-high 23 points.
“We were just hungry. Being on a five-game losing-streak was tough, especially because we started off the season so well,” Munns said. “We just wanted to win. We executed well and we kept fighting. That kept us together.”
Desiree Jackson followed Munns, contributing 17 points. Southern Utah rounded out the night with an impressive 52.9 field goal percentage and 58.8% from the three-point line.
Jessica Richardson and Brenna Gates each scored layups to give the Thunderbirds a five-point lead with 1:33 to play. The Bengals hit a pair of free throws and a jumper to scramble within one. ISU missed a drive in the final seconds to give SUU a one-point win.
Jackson nailed a three to tack up the first points of the game before ISU quickly responded with a trey to tie game. Jackson drained a jumper, Richardson put in a free throw and Gates poured in a layup to push Southern Utah ahead by five.
Jackson kept the scoring rolling with a bucket before the Bengals battled back to tie the game at 13. Munns was fouled at the three-point line and went 3-3 from the charity strike before Jackson finished two more free throws to regain SUU's five-point lead. Munns fired away from beyond the arch, hitting three straight treys to extend the Thunderbird's lead to 10.
“Things just fell through for us and we were able to finish. This is the game we've been looking for,” Jackson stated. “It's always good to get a win. Hopefully this will carry on to our next games.”
Jackson found Gates under the hoop for a layup, Iva Georgieva drained a three and Richardson completed a pair of free throws to keep a hold on SUU's lead. Munns nailed a fourth three to clench a 16-point lead for the T-Birds. The Bengals scuffled from behind to cut SUU's lead to seven. Taylor Baird, Sarah McGee and Sydnee Taylor each tacked in baskets in the final two minutes to keep Southern Utah's seven-point lead at the half.
Ashleigh Munns led the Thunderbirds in the first half with 15 points, including 4-5 from beyond the arch and 3-3 from the free throw line. Jackson added 13 points, including 6-6 from the free throw line. Gates totaled four assists and six rebounds.
Southern Utah shot 50% from the field, 60% from the three-point line and 75% from the charity strike. Idaho State shot 30.3% from the field in the opening half.
Funk knocked in a three to open the second half for Southern Utah before Richardson finished a layup and Taylor drained a jumper to keep SUU's lead alive. Taylor finished a second jumper before ISU rallied a 13-2 run to take a four-point lead. Munns knocked in a fifth three to cut the Bengal's lead to one before a layup and a trey from Funk put the T-Birds back in the lead, 63-59.
Jackson executed a drive and Gates finished a layup to clench a three-point T-Bird lead. ISU responded with a five-point run before Munns hit yet another three to take a one-point lead. Taylor connected with Jackson on a fast break to jump ahead by three. The Thunderbirds fought back to earn the one-point win over Idaho State.
“Battling through foul trouble and making sure we had a good bench was really important to pull it off,” head coach Chris Boettcher said. “In general, we were able to relax and play our style of basketball because we hit shots in the first half. Hopefully that takes the monkey off your back and we can come out confident and continue to play well.”
Southern Utah will hit the road as they travel to Eastern Washington and the University of Idaho on Feb. 19 and Feb. 21, respectively.
