SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Southern Utah women's basketball team returned to Big Sky play Thursday night with a 77-55 win over Sacramento State in California. They used a 31-point third quarter to pull away from the Hornets, eventually outscoring them 50-26 in the second half.
Liz Graves was the leading scorer for the Thunderbirds with 17 points on 50 percent (7-for-14) shooting. Darri Frandsen had 15 points and eight rebounds and Cherita Daugherty had 13 points and nine rebounds. Daugherty also had six assists on the night.
Madelyn Eaton also hit double-digits in scoring with 10 points.
As a team, the Thunderbirds shot 44.6 percent from the floor while holding the Hornets to just 28.4 percent. They also outrebounded Sacramento State 46-37 and went 13-for-13 from the free throw line.
Southern Utah trailed at halftime in this one, as there were seven lead changes in the opening 20 minutes of play. The Hornets opened the game with a 5-0 scoring run, but that would end up being their biggest lead of the contest. The Thunderbirds took their first lead with 3:08 to play in the first quarter.
The T-Birds were up eight when the Hornets went on a 12-2 run to close out the half with a 29-27 lead.
Frandsen immediately tied the game when the third quarter opened and the T-Birds were off to the races. They went 11-for-16 from the floor, held the Hornets to just five made baskets, and outscored them 31-12. They put together an 18-4 scoring run over the final 5:32 and when the quarter came to a close Southern Utah found themselves leading by 17.
The Thunderbirds continued to pour it on in the fourth quarter, turning that scoring run into a 30-4 run and held their biggest lead of the night at 70-41 with seven minutes to play.
The Hornets chipped away at the lead, but ultimately the T-Bird offense was too much as they walked away with the 77-55 victory.
The two teams will square off again on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Mountain time in California.
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