CEDAR CITY, Utah – Just two days after taking down Big Sky leader Montana State on its home floor, the Southern Utah University women's basketball team will look to remain victorious when it plays host to Sacramento State Saturday afternoon.
GAME INFO
Southern Utah vs Sacramento State
Date: February 12, 2022
Tip-Off: 2:00 p.m. MT
Location: Cedar City, Utah
Venue: America First Event Center
Stream: ESPN+
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets | Southern Utah Game Notes
SOUTHERN UTAH NOTES (14-8, 10-3)
-Saturday will mark the second meeting this season between Southern Utah and Sacramento State. The Thunderbirds visited Sacramento earlier this season and came away victorious in the form of an 80-70 win.
-The Thunderbirds come into Saturday's game with a record of 6-3 at the America First Event Center.
-Southern Utah boasts the top scoring offense in the Big Sky Conference with an average of 72.0 points per game. SUU's defense is fifth in the league, surrendering 65.3 points per contest.
-Darri Dotson pulled down a career high 16 rebounds in SUU's win over Montana State.
-Madi Eaton is shooting .902 from the free-throw line this year, the third-best percentage in the conference.
ABOUT SACRAMENTO STATE (12-10, 8-5)
-Sacramento State enters the matchup with the T-Birds on a three-game winning streak. The Hornets have also claimed victory in eight of their last nine games.
-Lianna Tillman leads Sacramento State in scoring with an average of 20.1 points per game. She is one of four Hornets averaging double figures on the season.
-Mark Campbell is in his first season as head coach of the Hornets.
LAST TIME OUT
After clawing its way back from down 11 in the fourth quarter to force overtime, the Southern Utah University women's basketball team used a 12-2 advantage in the extra period to take down first-place Montana State, 70-60, Thursday night at the America First Event Center.
The early going proved tough for the Thunderbirds as they had a tough time scoring, but Darri Dotson kept SUU alive with her career-best rebounding effort. The senior pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds while also scoring eight points. Cherita Daugherty and Daylani Ballena kept attacking the basket to lead SUU with 19 and 15 points, respectively.
Both teams struggled shooting the ball for the majority of the game, but it was the T-Birds' dominant rebounding that pushed them over the edge. Southern Utah pulled down 58 rebounds to Montana State's 35, including a 21-9 advantage on the offensive glass. The Thunderbirds also dominated down low with 42 points in the paint to MSU's 20.
The Bobcats led the majority of the game and appeared to be running away in the fourth quarter when they stretched their lead to 11 which forced SUU to take a timeout. The Thunderbirds responded out of the timeout by ripping off a 15-2 run to take the lead. Both teams traded baskets for the remainder of regulation, and Daugherty's last-second shot for the win fell short as the game headed to overtime.
Daugherty connected on her next shot to draw first blood in overtime, and Montana State responded with a pair of free throws. Those would prove to be the final points of the night for the Bobcats as SUU closed the game on a 10-0 run to even the race at the top of the conference standings.
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