SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Despite leading for over 27 minutes, the Southern Utah women's basketball team dropped a thrilling contest with the Sacramento State Hornets 76-77. The game went down the wire as the Hornets made their game-winning basket with just 15 seconds left to play.
The Thunderbirds led by as many as nine points in the fourth quarter, but an 11-2 run from Sacramento State helped them tie the game at 67-67 with 4:47 to play. It was a back-and-forth finish as the final minutes saw five lead changes. Rebecca Cardenas scored all nine points for the Thunderbirds during that time, fighting her way to the basket each time the Hornets scored on their end.
Down one with just over one second to play, the Thunderbirds had their inbounds pass tipped away and the Hornets escaped with the narrow victory.
Neither team ever held a lead bigger than nine, as they kept pace with each other for most of the contest. There were eleven lead changes and the game was tied for a total of 6:22. The score was tied at halftime 35-35.
The Thunderbirds played their highest-scoring quarter of the season in the third quarter as they outscored the Hornets 27-21.
Cardenas and Jessica Chatman both posted their first career double-doubles in the loss. Chatman had career-highs in both points and rebounds with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Cardenas put up 17 points and was the leading rebounder for the Thunderbirds with 11. Harley Hansen and Ashley Larsen both also finished in double digits in scoring with 15 and 14 respectively.
The Lady T-Birds will return to the America First Event Center for four straight games starting with Northern Colorado on Thursday January 24.
Tickets
Tickets for the Lady T-Birds' next home game on January 24 against Northern Colorado 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.
