CEDAR CITY, Utah – The Southern Utah University women's basketball team knocked down 12 3-pointers while shooting 54.7 percent from the field as the Thunderbirds claimed a 90-67 victory over Northern Arizona Monday night at the America First Event Center.
Southern Utah advanced to 16-10 for the year with the win, including a 12-5 mark in Big Sky Conference play. Northern Arizona fell to an even 12-12 on the season and 9-7 in league play.
"I'm excited for our girls," said SUU head coach Tracy Sanders. "I thought we played well. We had a great first quarter, putting up 30 points and shooting 70 percent. It was a fun game for them to play and us to be at. They made a little run there in the third quarter, but I thought we responded well and put away the game."
SUU's dynamic shooting effort was led by the duo of Natalia Otkhmezuri and Samantha Johnston who combined for 42 points and 11 3-pointers. Otkhmezuri's 25 points were a career high. The Thunderbirds also got major contributions from Lizzy Williamson who added 12 points and eight rebounds, as well as Madelyn Eaton who scored 10 points off the bench. Daylani Ballena facilitated the offense for SUU all night by dishing out seven assists to go with her seven points.
In addition to shooting 54.7 percent overall, Southern Utah knocked down 52.2 percent of its threes. The Thunderbirds also enjoyed an advantage in bench scoring, outscoring NAU 39-17. Defensively, SUU forced the Lumberjacks into 16 turnovers on the night and scored 27 points off those turnovers. The Thunderbirds also enjoyed a slight 34-32 rebounding advantage for the game.
The T-Birds were dominant right from the opening tip as they outscored NAU 30-12 in the opening 10 minutes of the contest. That early effort would result in Southern Utah leading for just over 36 minutes of game time. SUU kept its foot on the gas in the second quarter and took a 21-point lead into the locker room at halftime.
Northern Arizona slowly chipped away throughout the third quarter and trimmed the deficit down to 12 points minutes into the fourth. After coach Sanders called a timeout to help the T-Birds regroup, SUU ripped off a 13-3 run to rebuild its lead and comfortably run out the clock.
The Thunderbirds will now embark on their final road trip of the season when they travel to face Montana on Thursday, February 24. Tip-off between Southern Utah and Montana will take place at 7 p.m. MT. The game can be viewed on ESPN+.
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