Box Score CEDAR CITY, Utah - The SUU women's basketball team closed out their pre-season Friday evening with a 63-60 win over the Eastern New Mexico University Greyhounds.
“I'm really happy with the way the girls responded with the situation of a tight game and Eastern New Mexico climbing back. We haven't been tested like that yet so we're really happy with the fact that they maintained their composure and were able to execute down the stretch,” head coach Chris Boettcher said of the team's win.
The Lady T-Birds scored first in the opening quarter, but found themselves down 8-4 after about four minutes of play. The score would stay locked for the next two minutes before sophomore Maren Herrud drew a foul and sunk both free throws to spark an 8-0 run for the Thunderbirds to give them a 12-8 lead. The first quarter finished with a five-point scoring run for sophomore Ashley Baugh to make it 17-10 SUU.
The second quarter saw the Greyhounds pull to within three points after an opening 7-3 scoring run, but it wouldn't last long. The Lady T-Birds used the final seven minutes of the opening half to build a 12 point lead with Herrud notching eight points during the stretch to give the T-Birds a 35-23 lead heading into halftime.
The Thunderbirds kept the Greyhounds at bay throughout the third quarter, briefly letting them get within four points towards the end, but never losing the lead. Junior Whitney Johnson had eight points and a defensive rebound in the third quarter. The Lady T-Birds went into the final quarter of play with a 47-41 lead.
Things got hairy in the fourth quarter as the Greyhounds fought their way back in and even found themselves with the lead twice. With 1:17 left in the game the Greyhounds held a 60-59 lead, but a jumper from senior Jessica Richardson and two free throws from freshman Rebecca Cardenas would give the Thunderbirds a 63-60 lead and put the Greyhounds away for good.
Whitney Johnson lead the way for the T-Birds with 18 points and seven total rebounds. Sophomore Darri Frandsen led the team in rebounds(11), assists(3), and blocks(2). She also finished second in points with 13.
The Lady T-Birds will open up the 2016-17 regular season with a home game next Saturday November 12th against Antelope Valley.
To stay up to date during the games and throughout the 2016-17 season follow @SUUWBasketball on Twitter and Instagram and like the SUU Women's Basketball page on Facebook.
