FLAGSTAFF, Ariz– Despite season-highs in scoring from Cherita Daugherty and Megan Jensen, the Southern Utah Univerisity women's basketball team fell to the Northern Arizona 76-65 at Joseph Rolle Activity Center, Saturday afternoon.
TBIRD TIDBITS
The Thunderbirds edged out the Lumberjacks in field goal percentage by 40 percent to 38.9 percent. They were efficient from the charity stripe on the night, outshooting the Lumberjacks 69 percent to 57 percent. SUU also outscored NAU in the paint 42 to 38 and had a combined eight blocks.
Cherita Daugherty fueled the scoring for the Thunderbirds with a new season-high 22 points with 12 rebounds and four assists, while Megan Jensen dominated inside the paint for SUU, scoring 16 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks. Lizzy Williamson was one rebound away from another double-double, finishing with 10 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks.
FIRST HALF
Southern Utah started the game on fire, blazing out onto an 11-to-five -run off a combined eight points from Lizzy Williamson and Megan Jensen, capped off by a Samantha Johnston three-pointer into the first media timeout with 4:59 left in the quarter.
The Thunderbirds kept their foot on the gas, connecting on a pair of three-pointers from Cherita Daugherty and Daylani Ballena, putting them up 21-16 into the break.
Coming out of the quarter Megan Jensen dominated down low, scoring six straight points to give SUU its largest lead of the first half, 27-18, with 8:10 left. But NAU would claw back into the game, getting to the rim and putting the Thunderbirds in early foul trouble, which allowed the Lumberjacks to go on a 15-0 run, sending them into halftime with the lead of 33-27.
SECOND HALF
Southern Utah would end that scoring drought immediately at the start of the third quarter, surging out onto a 12-0 run of their own off two quick buckets from Meagan Jensen and a flurry of layups made from Cherita Daugherty, which reclaimed the lead for SUU 41-36 with 5:38 in the quarter.
NAU would cut back into the Thunderbirds' lead and took the advantage back, ending the third quarter up 54-50.
Both sides would trade their jabs in the fourth, with Williamson coming up with two blocks to limit two NAU possessions. Daugherty would continue to make tough contested shots scoring eight points down the stretch in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough in the end as NAU would pull away, winning 76-65.
UP NEXT
The Thunderbirds will now head to Boulder, Colorado, to take on the Colorado Buffaloes and former SUU head coach JR Payne on December 7 at 6 p.m. MT.
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