LAS CRUCES, N.M. - A season-high 26 points from Cherita Daugherty powered the Southern Utah University women's basketball team to a 61-58 victory over New Mexico State on Saturday, Dec. 31 at Pan American Center. SUU improved to 6-7 (2-0 WAC), while the Aggies fell to 6-8 (1-1 WAC).

T-Bird Tidbits

Southern Utah connected on 53.8 percent of its field goals, while holding New Mexico State to only 35.4 percent.

Daugherty caught fire, scoring 20 of her season-high 26 points in the second half to power the Thunderbirds to the win.

Lizzy Williamson recorded a near double-double by scoring nine points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Williamson also anchored the defense with two blocks.

Daylani Ballena orchestrated the offense with a team-high four assists to go along with five points.

First Half

The Aggies struck first, hitting a pair of jumpers to go up 5-0. Southern Utah answered by scoring eight straight points to take the lead. Neither squad was able to take advantage early on, and after three more lead changes the Aggies saw themselves leading 16-13 at the end of the first quarter.

New Mexico began the second quarter with an 8-2 run to extend their lead to 24-15. Samantha Johnston splashed a three pointer to keep the T-Birds offense afloat. Daugherty and Ballena each hit a jumper, but New Mexico was able to match these with field goals of their own. New Mexico stayed aggressive, extending the lead to ten (34-24) with less than a minute to play in the half. Southern Utah cut the deficit in half with a 5-0 run in the final minute. Daugherty earned two points from the line, followed by a last second three by Johnston to cut the Aggies lead to only five. SUU trailed 34-29 at the half.

Second Half

The Thunderbirds came out hot to begin the second half. Williamson and Megan Jensen each quickly registered layups to get SUU within a single point. New Mexico bounced back, scoring six of the next seven points to make the score 40-34. Daugherty exploded offensively, delivering 10 of the next 11 points for the T-Birds to keep them in the game. New Mexico led 50-45 heading into the final period.

Williamson opened the fourth quarter with a putback layup. Following this, Daugherty continued where she had left off last period, scoring the next four points to give the Thunderbirds a 51-50 advantage. The Aggies briefly retook the lead, but Daugherty would not be denied. Daugherty scored six unanswered points to put SUU up 57-53. New Mexico made one final push, cutting the T-Bird advantage to a single point with less than a minute left in the game. The Aggies eventually had a chance to take the lead, but the Thunderbird defense prevailed. Johnston connected on a pair of free throws in the waning seconds of the game to extend Southern Utah's lead to three. The Thunderbirds seized the game on the road 61-58 in the end.

Up Next

Southern Utah will retake the court on Saturday, where they begin the new year at Seattle for a matchup against the Redhawks. The game is scheduled to tipoff at 3:00 p.m. MT.

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