CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah women's basketball team fell to the Northern Colorado Bears Thursday night 71-44 at home.
"We had good energy to start the game and we were executing. Defensively, we were locked in and we were doing a great job securing the rebounds," head coach Tracy Sanders said. "Our offense and defense go hand in hand and when we are scoring we usually defend better and that was how we started the game, but we got a lead and I think we got a little complacent."
The Thunderbirds came out hot in the first quarter shooting 3-for-3 from the three-point line and holding the Bears to just 1-for-7. They also outrebounded the Bears 13-5. The T-Birds were able to put together a 12-0 run to make it 14-3 early, while holding UNC to 0-for-6 from the field during that time.
They would go into the the second quarter with a 16-11 lead.
The Bears picked things up in the second, tying things up in just one minute of play. The game would be tied five more time throughout the quarter as both teams fought to take control. In the end, it was Northern Colorado who would win that battle as they took a six point lead into halftime.
It was all Bears from there as they outscored the Thunderbirds 20-10 in the third quarter and 19-8 in the fourth. The T-Birds only scored on three field goals in the second half, with 12 of their 18 points coming from the free throw line.
Rebecca Cardenas and Breanu Reid were the leading scorers for the Thunderbirds with 11 points each. Cardenas also added six rebounds. Ashley Larsen was one point away from her first double-double, finishing with nine points and 11 rebounds.
Northern Colorado outscored the Thunderbirds in the paint 48-4, but SUU outrebounded UNC 39-34.
"We are going to have to take a day off and there will probably be a lot of film. It will all be about preparation and being smart about what we do and how we do it," Sanders said about the upcoming week.
The Lady T-Birds will be back on the court on Monday January 28 as they host Northern Arizona for the first of three game next week.
Tickets
Tickets for the Lady T-Birds' next home game on January 28 against Northern Arizona 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.
