CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah University women's basketball team defeated Texas A&M Commerce 71-56 on Thursday, December 1 at the America First Event Center. SUU improves to 3-4 on the season, while the Lions fall to 1-5 overall. 

T-Bird Tidbits

Southern Utah dominated many facets of the game. The T-Birds won the rebounding battle by a wide margin, 53-32.

The Thunderbirds shot an efficient 45 percent from the field compared to the Lions 26.8 percent.

Top T-Birds

Lizzy Williamson came up huge for the T-Birds with a massive double-double. Williamson scored 16 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to go along with a season-high four blocks.

Junior Samantha Johnston led the SUU attack with 19 points, shooting 4-9 from downtown.

Daylani Ballena (12) and Cherita Daugherty (12) also recorded double figures for the Thunderbirds.

First Half

Southern Utah came out aggressive to start the game, hitting six of their first seven attempts. Many T-Birds joined in on the scoring barrage. Daugherty scored within the first five seconds of the game on a tough pull-up jumper. Johnston was electric right out the gate, knocking down a pair of three pointers. A fastbreak layup by Williamson punctuated a 14-0 start for the Thunderbirds. Southern Utah found themselves up 22-4 after Ashley Banks knocked down two shots from the charity stripe. The Lions woke up towards the end of the quarter, coming back to make the game a contest again. SUU led 25-18 heading into the second period.

The Lions remained within striking distance to start the second quarter, as they trailed by only six (28-22). SUU utilized a 7-0 sprint in the second quarter to push the lead back to double digits. Williamson scored in the waning moments of the half to make the score 37-26 going into the break.

Second Half

Ballena opened the third quarter with back-to-back mid-range jumpers. The Lions matched the Thunderbirds shot for shot until midway through the period. The Thunderbirds then leapt ahead, scoring nine of the next ten points to create a 56-36 advantage. Southern Utah maintained a comfortable lead, as the score was 60-39 at the end of the third.

The lead proved to be insurmountable, and the Thunderbirds cruised to the finish line, winning the game 71-56.

Up Next

Southern Utah will be on the road this Saturday, as they travel to Flagstaff, Arizona for a matchup against NAU. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 3:00 p.m. MT. 

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