MISSOULA, Mont. - The Southern Utah women's basketball team closed out 2018 and a three-game road stretch with a 57-79 loss to the Montana Lady Griz in Missoula Monday afternoon.

The Thunderbirds came out shooting to start this one and they were on fire from beyond the arc. The T-Birds knocked down five first quarter three-pointer, including two quick ones from Kiana Thomas to take an early lead. The offensive surge allowed them to hold a 23-19 lead at the end of the quarter.

Unfortunately, the Thunderbirds would cool off in the second quarter. Montana opened the quarter on a 11-0 run as SUU couldn't get anything to fall. The Grizzlies led by as much as 12 during the quarter. The T-Birds found a spark as the half came to a close, putting away four of their final five shots of the half to make it 40-34 Montana at halftime.

Southern Utah was able to hang around in the third quarter, not allowing the Griz to extend their lead by too much. However, they couldn't gain any ground getting outscored 18-14 as Montana made it 58-48 by the end of the quarter.

The Lady Griz really started to pull away in the fourth quarter. They led by as much as 26 with 2:35 remaining in the game before the game came to a close with a score of 79-57.

Harley Hansen led the Thunderbirds in points with 12 for her fifth consecutive double-digits scoring performance. The junior also had five rebounds and two steals. Thomas also finished in double-digits with 11 points.

The Thunderbirds will return home to host the Idaho State Bengals on Thursday January 3.

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.

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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.