BOZEMAN, Mont. – The Southern Utah University women's basketball team struggled to put the ball in the basket all game as Montana State downed the Thunderbirds, 65-47, Saturday afternoon.

The Thunderbirds fell to 15-10 on the season with the setback and 11-5 in Big Sky Conference play.

As a team, Southern Utah could only manage to hit 27 percent of its shots, including a 19-percent clip from 3-point range. SUU's struggles also carried over to the free-throw line in the form of a 13-of-24 performance. The T-Birds also lost the rebounding battle 51-44 overall. The one area in which SUU did hold an advantage was in blocked shots as SUU finished with six to Montana State's four.

Darri Dotson led the way for Southern Utah on the afternoon with a 13-point performance to go with nine rebounds. Daylani Ballena Was the other Thunderbird in double figures as she finished with 12 points. Cherita Daugherty played a balanced game for SUU, finishing with seven points, 10 rebounds and three assists.

Montana State quickly got to work building a lead in the first quarter as the Bobcats pulled ahead by as many as 10 in the opening period. That lead continued to stretch before halftime as MSU went into the locker room up 17 points. Southern Utah appeared to have some momentum in the third quarter when a 7-2 run trimmed the deficit to 12, but Montana State quickly rebuilt its lead and went up by as many as 24 in the final quarter.

The T-Birds face a quick turnaround as they will return home to Cedar City to face Northern Arizona Monday night. The Thunderbirds and Lumberjacks will tip-off at 6:30 p.m. MT with a broadcast available on ESPN+.

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