EUGENE, Ore. - The Southern Utah University women's basketball team battled against No. 18 Oregon on Monday, Nov. 21 at Matthew Knight Arena, falling 66-54 to the Ducks. With the loss, SUU moves to 2-3 overall.

T-Bird Tidbits

Southern Utah won the battle of the boards by a large margin. SUU cleaned up the glass effectively, corralling 41 rebounds compared to Oregon's 33. The T-Birds were aggressive on the offensive boards, picking up 12 offensive rebounds.

The Thunderbirds shot 66.7 percent from the free throw line, while the Ducks only were able to convert on 44.7 percent of theirs.

Top T-Birds

Cherita Daugherty fueled the Thunderbirds offensively with 17 points on the day. Daugherty earned a double-double by snatching 10 rebounds, while also amassing a team-high four assists. In addition to this, Daugherty was perfect from the charity stripe, hitting all three of her attempts.

Lizzy Williamson and Megan Jensen recorded double figures for the Thunderbirds with 12 points apiece. Williamson pulled down nine rebounds during the contest, while Jensen grabbed eight.

Samantha Johnston was remarkably efficient tonight, scoring eight points on 3-for-4 shooting from the field.

First Half

Williamson opened the T-Bird attack with back-to-back buckets in the first quarter. Jensen followed this up with four straight points of her own, cutting the Ducks lead to only three (11-8). Both Daugherty and Johnston would get in on the scoring action for SUU during the first quarter.

The second quarter saw another hot start from Williamson, who scored the first two baskets for the T-Birds. Daugherty began to heat up during this period, hitting a jumper and a layup to bolster the Thunderbirds offense. Oregon would hold a 35-25 lead going into the break.

Second Half

Jensen and Daugherty continued to chip in offensively, each converting on a shot in the third quarter. Williamson carried the offensive responsibilities for SUU by hitting a pair of jumpshots in the period. Oregon would find themselves up 59-33 heading into the final quarter.

Faced with a significant deficit, Southern Utah didn't fold. The Thunderbirds would come out scorching hot in the final period, scoring 21 points. Daugherty led the charge for SUU by scoring nine points. Southern Utah's stifling defense would hold Oregon to a meager seven points, but it wasn't enough in the end. The Ducks would claim a 66-54 victory.

Up Next

Southern Utah will return home to the American First Event Center this Saturday, when the Thunderbirds will take on the University of California Santa Barbara. The game is scheduled to begin at 12:00 p.m. MT.

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