CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah women's basketball team dropped their first home game of the 2018-19 season Saturday afternoon in a 71-70 heartbreaker to the Denver Pioneers.
"They are a great three-point shooting team, they are going to shoot a lot of threes and we knew that there were going to be a lot of long rebounds," head coach Tracy Sanders said. "We really struggled to make contact and go and get the ball and that's something we talked about at halftime. To put ourselves in position to win games, we have to do our job rebounding and at the free throw line."
It was a close contest for most of the afternoon, with neither team getting ahead by more than five points through the first three quarters. There were nine lead changes during that time and the game was tied for a total of 3:07.
After leading by two heading into the halftime break, the Thunderbirds found themselves down 48-45 after three quarters.
Both teams took it to the next level in the fourth quarter. The Pioneers used a 9-2 run to jump out to a 10-point lead with 7:03 remaining in the game. After a three from Harley Hansen and a layup from Kiana Thomas, Denver continued to pile it on, extending their lead to 14 with 2:43 to go.
It was from that point forward that the Thunderbirds were able to turn things around on the Pioneers, as a layup from Thomas launched a 18-5 run for SUU. Rebecca Cardenas single-handedly cut the Pioneer lead from 12 to just four, as she scored four times in just a minute of play. Thomas knocked down a three-point shot to pull the T-Birds within one with a 1:07 on the clock. After a made free throw from DU, Cardenas nailed her third three in less than two minutes to give the Thunderbirds a 70-69 lead.
However, the Pioneers were able to draw a late foul and convert both free throws to take back the lead. Lockdown defense on the final possession gave them the 71-70 victory.
Cardenas was the leading scorer for the T-Birds, putting up 16 points for the second consecutive game. Thirteen of her 16 points came in the fourth quarter, including all three of her three-point shots. The junior also pulled in seven rebounds, dished out five assists, and had four steals.
"She is one of the most competitive people that I have coached and I love that about her," Sanders said of Cardenas' fourth quarter performance. "She brings it every day in practice and what she does in practice carries over into games. In those shining moments, she steps her game up and I think she likes being in those situations."
Hansen and Megan Kamps had 12 points each with Hansen coming away with five steals.
The Pioneers came into the game shooting 45.5 percent from three-point range. The Thunderbirds were able to hold them to just 26.1 percent from three, including 1-for-11 in the second half.
The Thunderbirds will play their final non-conference game on Wednesday December 19 on the road against Boise State.
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.
