ST GEORGE, Utah- After 12 days since their last contest, the Southern Utah University women's basketball team closed out non-conference play with a dismantling 95-58 win over Southern Utah rival and future WAC foe, the Dixie State Trailblazers, Tuesday evening. 

With the win, the Thunderbirds improved their record to 6-5, while Dixie State dropped to 4-7 on the year. 

 Senior Cherita Daugherty led the Thunderbirds offensively, setting a new career with 28 points while shooting 4-5 from downtown. She also grabbed nine rebounds with three assists. Center Lizzy Williamson continued to be a menace down low, scoring 20 points with six rebounds and two blocks. Daylani Ballena and Darri Dotson also racked up 11 points of their own. 

As a team, the Thunderbirds shot 54.5% from the field while holding the Trailblazers to just 33.3% from the floor. SUU outrebounded Dixie 43 to 33 while also dominating in the paint scoring 50 points compared to the Trailblazers 32. 

SUU started the game off strong, going on a fast 5-0 run after buckets from Dotson and Williamson. Dixie State quickly found a response to the Thunderbirds surge and went on a run of their own to take their first lead of the ball game 9-8. 

The T-Birds immediately took back control of the game after Daugherty hit two straight three-pointers, extending their lead to 20-14 to end the first quarter. 

Coming out of the quarter,  the Trailblazers kept fighting and battled back to tie the game at 20-20, but SUU continued to answer back. They got into a rhythm and began to assert their dominance as Williamson and Daugherty combined for a total of 33 first-half points, giving them a 43-34 lead at the half. 

SUU extended their lead even further out of the half. They broke things open in the third when Daylani Ballena began to heat up. Ballena scored seven second-half points and doubled their lead, pushing the game out of the Trailblazer's reach.

The T-Birds will now begin a four-game road trip. Their first stop will be in Sacramento to face off against Sac State on Thursday, December 30th. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. MT. Streaming for the event will be available on ESPN+.