CEDAR CITY, Utah – After the Southern Utah University women's basketball team built a 17-point lead minutes into the second half, Idaho State came storming back to make it a two-point game but could not get any closer as the Thunderbirds closed out the win over the Bengals, 74-68, Wednesday night at the America First Event Center.
Southern Utah moved to 17-11 on the season with a 13-6 mark in conference play. The Thunderbirds kept Idaho State from clinching the outright Big Sky Championship with the win and avoided consecutive losses in league play for the first time this season. ISU fell to 19-10 overall with the setback, including a 15-5 record against conference competition.
The T-Birds were balanced offensively on the night with four scorers in double figures, but Cherita Daugherty led the way with a game-high 22 points. Daugherty also filled the stat sheet with seven rebounds, four assists and a steal on the defensive end. Daylani Ballena finished the night with 15 points, and Lizzy Williamson recorded a double-double from the center position in the form of 12 points and 10 rebounds. Darri Dotson rounded out SUU's double-figure scorers by chipping in 11 points to go with seven rebounds.
SUU's efficiency from the floor went a long way toward the victory as the Thunderbirds connected on 55.3 percent of their shots while holding Idaho State to 46.9 percent shooting. The T-Birds also hit on 50 percent of their shots from 3-point range with an 8-of-16 clip. Southern Utah was aggressive all night in the rebounding battle and outrebounded the Bengals 34-26, including a 26-16 advantage on the defensive glass.
Shots were falling early and often for SUU in the opening half. With ISU holding a small, 9-7 lead early on, the Thunderbirds rattled off a quick 12-3 run to claim the lead and gain some separation. Southern Utah would hold onto the lead the entire remainder of the game as the T-Birds finished the game being ahead on the scoreboard for 37:07 of 40 minutes.
With a seven-point lead in its pocket to start the third quarter, SUU went right back to work and opened the second half on a 12-2 run to earn its largest lead of the night at 17 points. The momentum then shifted to Idaho State after a timeout as the Bengals held the Thunderbirds to just four points the remainder of the quarter and used a 17-2 run to trim the deficit to two points.
The opening moments of the fourth quarter were back and forth, but Daugherty found Ballena in the corner for a huge three pointer at the 6:05 mark to cap a 7-0 run which put SUU up by eight. That run gave the T-Birds the breathing room they needed to close the contest as ISU could not get closer than four the rest of the way.
Southern Utah will now prepare to close out the regular season with a visit from in-state rival Weber State on Friday, March 4. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. MT with a live broadcast on ESPN+.
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