CEDAR CITY, Utah – Thunderbird center Lizzy Williamson recorded a monster double-double with 35 points and 23 rebounds which led the Southern Utah University women's basketball team to its first win of the 2021-22 campaign over SAGU American Indian College, 120-59, Monday night at the America First Event Center.
The Thunderbirds improved their record to 1-4 overall with the victory.
"I think it was a great team win," said SUU head coach Tracy Sanders. "Everyone got in and competed. We had 29 assists, which is huge, and scored a lot of points. Defensively, there are some things we can continue to work on, and offensively as well. We had a huge height advantage, and the team did a good job of getting the ball to Lizzy and she obviously had a career night which was really fun to watch."
Williamson was knocking on the door of a few school records with her performance as she finished just two rebounds shy of the program's single game rebounding record. Her 35 points were also the fifth-best single game total in SUU history.
One record the Thunderbirds did break was the highest team point total in a single game. SUU's 120 points against SAGU are the most since scoring 109 against Colorado College in 1976. Southern Utah accomplished this by shooting 54.8 percent from the field while knocking down seven 3-point shots.
Williamson was not the only T-Bird with a big night as Kinsley Barrington added 18 points of her own to SUU's total. She was joined in double figures by Daylani Ballena and Madelyn Eaton who recorded 13 and 10 points, respectively. Ballena finished the night with a game-high eight assists, just two shy of her own double-double.
School records and big time individual performances were not the only reason for the Thunderbirds to celebrate on the night, as SUU newcomer Natalia Otkhmezuri made her T-Bird debut. Otkhmezuri became the first NCAA Division I basketball ever to come from the Republic of Georgia when she took the floor Monday night. In her debut, she scored eight points including a make from beyond the arc.
The Thunderbirds will now take a temporary break for Thanksgiving before resuming play at future Western Athletic Conference foe UTRGV on Saturday, November 27. Tip-off is scheduled for noon MT, and the game can be viewed on ESPN+ and the WAC Digital Network.
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