BOZEMAN, Mont. - The Southern Utah women's basketball team opened Big Sky Conference play Saturday afternoon with a closely contested 64-69 loss to the Montana State Bobcats in Montana.
The teams traded buckets in a competitive first quarter that saw four lead changes and the score tied three times. Down four with just over three minutes left in the quarter, the T-Birds went on a 7-0 run to close out the opening quarter with a 14-11 lead.
The second quarter saw four more lead changes, but neither team led by more than two points. That was until the Bobcats were able to take control down the stretch, jumping out to a six point lead with 1:42 remaining in the first half. Jessica Chatman knocked down a three to cut the lead to three, but a MSU layup made it 30-25 at the end of the half.
The Bobcats opened the second half with a 13-2 run to extend their lead to 16 with the only SUU bucket coming on a Kiana Thomas layup on their second possession. A Megan Kamps layup with 5:28 to go in the quarter broke the run and from their the Thunderbirds were able to get the Montana State lead all the way back down to five at one point. They would go into the final quarter down 47-40.
The Lady T-Birds didn't go down without a fight, forcing the Bobcats into six turnovers in the final quarter. They kept chipping away until they were able to tie the game at 61-61 with just :48 left in the game. Unfortunately, that was as close as they would come as the Bobcats went 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final :24 to close out the 69-64 win.
Harley Hansen was the leading scorer for the Thunderbirds, scoring 13 points, her fourth straight game in double-digits. Hansen also had four steals and three rebounds. Thomas also broke into double-digits in scoring with 12 points on 6-for-9 shooting. Ashley Larsen and Rebecca Cardenas led the team in rebounds with seven each.
The Thunderbirds will now travel to Missoula to take on the Montana Grizzlies on New Year's Eve. The Grizzlies are coming off of a 78-62 win over Northern Arizona.
Tickets
Tickets for the Lady T-Birds' next home game on January 3 against Idaho State are available at tbirdtickets.com or the America First Event Center Ticket Office. Fans can also purchase a Women's Sports Pass for access to all 2018-19 home games.
Follow Us
Stay up to date during the 2018-19 Lady T-Bird Basketball season by following @SUUWBasketball on Twitter and Instagram and liking the Southern Utah Women's Basketball page on Facebook.
