CHENEY, Wash. - The Southern Utah women's basketball team defeated Eastern Washington Thursday night 70-67 to extend their winning streak to four games. This is the longest winning streak for the T-Birds since 2013-14 when they won a share of the Big Sky Championship.
The Thunderbirds are now 10-7 in Big Sky play and 16-10 overall on the season.
Shalyn Fano was the leading scorer for the Thunderbirds with 15 points. The freshman also pulled down 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. Rebecca Cardenas and Madelyn Eaton both had 12 points, Jessica Chatman had 11, and Harley Hansen had 10. Darri Frandsen pulled down 10 rebounds. Claudia Armato had four steals and dished out seven assists.
As a team, the Thunderbirds outrebounded the Eagles 47-34, while shooting 36.1 percent from the field.
The T-Birds got off to a slow start, scoring just eight points in the first quarter. It took them almost five minutes of play to score their first points, but then went on a 7-0 run to tie the game. The Eagles closed out the quarter on a 7-1 run to take a six-point lead into the second quarter.
Southern Utah was able to flip the script in the second quarter, outscoring the Eagles 18-8. The Thunderbirds chipped away until a three-pointer from Cardenas launched a 11-0 run that gave them a 26-22 heading into the halftime break.
Both teams exploded offensively in the third quarter, scoring a combined 50 points, with the Thunderbirds outscoring EWU 28-22. A layup from Frandsen started a 10-5 run for the T-Birds that gave them the separation they needed to take a 10-point lead into the final 10 minutes.
The fourth quarter turned into a battle as the Eagles fought back from being down 14 points to get back within one with 46 seconds to go. Armato and Cardenas hit both of their free throws down the stretch to hold Eastern Washington at arm's length and close out the win.
The Thunderbirds will now head to Moscow to take on the Idaho Vandals on Saturday.
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Stay up to date during the 2019-20 Lady T-Bird Basketball season by following @SUUWBasketball on Twitter and Instagram and liking the Southern Utah Women's Basketball page on Facebook.
Tickets
Tickets for the Lady T-Birds' next home game on March 4 against Montana 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 2019-20 regular season home games.
