CEDAR CITY, Utah – The Southern Utah University women's basketball team will look to keep its winning streak alive Saturday when it welcomes Idaho to town for a second-straight Big Sky Conference matchup.

GAME INFO

Southern Utah vs Idaho

Date: December 4, 2021

Tip-Off: 2:00 p.m. MT

Location: Cedar City, Utah

Venue: America First Event Center

TV: ESPN+

Live Stream | Live Stats | Listen Live | Tickets | Southern Utah Notes (PDF) | Idaho Notes (PDF)

ABOUT IDAHO (1-5, 0-0 Big Sky)

-After winning its season opener against Lewis-Clark State College, Idaho has lost five-consecutive games, including its most recent contest against Drake.

-The Vandals have three scorers averaging double figures, and are led by Louise Forsyth who is scoring 14.8 per contest. Sydney Gandy and Allison Kirby are averaging 11.5 and 10.2 per game, respectively.

-Idaho is led by head coach Jon Newlee who is in his 13th season at the helm of the program. Entering the 2021-22 campaign, Newlee held a record of 306-253 as a head coach.

-Saturday's contest will serve as the conference opener for the Vandals.

LAST TIME OUT

Senior guard Cherita Daugherty led all scorers with 18 points, including a 14-of-14 mark from the free-throw line to guide the Southern Utah University women's basketball team to a 60-46 win over Eastern Washington Thursday night at the America First Event Center in the team's Big Sky Conference opener.

The win was Southern Utah's third straight and improved the Thunderbirds to 3-4 overall on the season and 1-0 in Big Sky Conference play. Eastern Washington dropped to 1-4 on the year and 0-1 in league play with the loss.

Neither team shot the ball particularly well from the field on the night as the T-Birds hit 26.9 percent of their shots while EWU only managed a 28.8 percent clip. The difference on the night was free-throw shooting with SUU hitting 26-of-31 attempts from the charity stripe compared to a 10-of-19 mark for the Eagles. Daugherty dropped in her 14 free throws and was aided by Madelyn Eaton who went 5-of-6 from the line.

In addition to Daugherty, Eaton and true freshman Aishah Anis were SUU's double-figure scorers. Eaton and Anis both finished the night with 11 points, with Anis nailing three 3-pointers. The Thunderbirds also got a huge lift from Lizzy Williamson and Darri Dotson in the rebounding category as the two combined for 22 boards with Williamson bringing down 13 and Dotson 9.

SUU played suffocating defense in the first half to earn a big lead as the Thunderbirds allowed the Eagles to score just 15 points through two quarters, and went into the locker room with a 15-point lead at halftime. The script flipped in the third quarter, though, as Eastern Washington held Southern Utah to just six points in the quarter to close the gap to eight. A 16-2 run helped EWU close the gap to just four points in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, but an 8-0 run in response gave the Thunderbirds the breathing room they needed to pull away and secure the victory.

NOTES AND QUOTES

-The Thunderbirds are 0-6 against Idaho under head coach Tracy Sanders.

-Idaho has defeated Southern Utah 16-consecutive times.

-The T-Birds last took down the Vandals in January of 1996. Southern Utah traveled to Moscow and earned a 73-54 victory on the Vandals' home floor. It was the third-consecutive win in the series for SUU.

-A win over the Vandals would mark the first 2-0 start to Big Sky play in SUU history.

-Lizzy Williamson's 9.4 rebounds per game are second best in the Big Sky Conference and 48th best in the entire country.

-Williamson also shoots one of the best percentages in the country at .645. That mark is best in the Big Sky and eighth in the NCAA.

-In Southern Utah's win over Eastern Washington, Cherita Daugherty went 14-of-14 from the free throw line. Her 14 makes set a new SUU single game record for three throws made without a miss.

-Heading into Saturday's matchup with Idaho, Southern Utah is averaging the most points per game in the Big Sky Conference at 72.4 points per night.

"That game was a great learning experience for us. Obviously we're not super happy with the third quarter, but it got to a four-point game and I'm really happy with how we responded. We came together during a time out and after that turned a corner. I thought Cherita did a great job of making things happen and got to the free-throw line when we were struggling to score, and obviously free throws down the stretch made the difference for us. It was a great game, a great learning experience, and it was great to get the first conference win under our belt."

-Head Coach Tracy Sanders after the T-Birds win in their conference opener

"The ladies have been hard at work and are so excited to take the floor this November. We have some great games in our preseason with several WAC opponents as well as Colorado here in Cedar City. The Big Sky Conference will be tough as usual with some talented new coaches in the league. We just can't wait to start the season."

-Sanders on the release of the 2021-22 schedule

"I am so proud to call Southern Utah University and Cedar City home. It has been an incredible three years and I'm so excited about the direction of our program. We have some extremely talented players that have bought into both the vision and the culture of Southern Utah women's basketball. I'd like to thank Athletic Director Debbie Corum and Deputy Athletic Director Sonia Hahn for their continued support of our program and the opportunity they have given me to continue doing what I love alongside an incredible staff here at Southern Utah University."

-Sanders on her contract extension

"We are thrilled that Tracy will be leading our program for years to come. The improvement her teams have shown each year since she joined the Thunderbird family has been evident. Her players have excelled both on the court and in the classroom, and we are confident in her ability to take the program to new heights in the coming years."

-Southern Utah Athletic Director Debbie Corum on Sanders' contract extension

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