CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah University women's basketball team earned its eighth straight victory on Saturday, Jan. 28, defeating Tarleton State 55-48. With the win, the Thunderbirds improve to 12-7 overall and 8-0 in Western Athletic Conference play. Meanwhile, the Texans dropped to 7-13 overall and 1-8 in WAC play.
T-Bird Tidbits
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Southern Utah shot an efficient 13-15 at the free throw line against Tarleton's 6-10.
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The Thunderbirds dominated the boards, corralling 45 rebounds while holding the Texans to only 27 rebounds.
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Cherita Daugherty racked up a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
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Tomekia Whitman sparked the T-Birds off the bench with 14 points.
First Half
Megan Jensen started off the scoring for the Thunderbirds, connecting on a layup on the opening possession. Daylani Ballena drilled a mid-range jumper to extend the 'Birds lead to four.
The Texans responded with a run of their own, scoring five quick points to jump ahead by one. Jensen answered with a jump hook that placed Southern Utah back in front.
After Tarleton hit a three-pointer to take the lead, Ballena got to the foul line and knocked down a pair of free throws to tie the game at eight apiece.
Tomekia Whitman came off the bench and made an immediate impact, splashing a triple to give the 'Birds an 11-8 advantage heading into the second quarter.
Tarleton struck first to begin the second period, bursting out the gates with a 7-0 run. Southern Utah countered with a 6-0 run of their own, highlighted by a reverse layup by Whitman to give the Thunderbirds a 17-15 lead.
After the Texans tied the match with a layup, Freshman Ashley Banks utilized excellent footwork to score in the post.
The quarter proved to be a game of runs, as Tarleton sprinted ahead with a 10-1 stint. The Thunderbirds fired right back. Ballena drilled a three pointer, and on the following possession Daugherty came up with the steal and score to trim the Texans lead to only two, 27-25, going into the half.
Second Half
Southern Utah stayed hot coming out of the break. Daugherty used a pump fake to connect on a layup and tie the game on the opening play of the third. On the following play Ballena drained her second three of the night to push the T-Birds ahead 30-27.
Daugherty dished the ball down to Jensen in the post, who scored the bucket. Jensen stayed aggressive, hitting another layup with 7:11 remaining in the third to cap off a ferocious 9-0 run by the T-Birds, giving SUU a 34-27 advantage.
After the Texans added three points of their own, Whitman drove the lane hard and was rewarded with a trip to the foul line, where she sank both shots and extended Southern Utah's lead to six, 36-30.
TSU fired back with a 4-0 run to claw its way back into the game. The Thunderbirds replied with a quick 5-0 run highlighted by an old fashioned three point play by Whitman.
Bryar Tronnier came up with the offensive rebound with seconds remaining in the quarter. Tronnier was fouled on the putback and sank both free throws to make the score 43-36 in favor of Southern Utah approaching the final quarter.
Johnston sparked the T-Birds offense by sinking a trifecta, pushing the SUU lead to seven with 7:33 left in the game. However, Tarleton would not go away, mounting a 4-0 run to trim the lead to only three points with 5:37 remaining in the game.
Whitman sliced her way to the rim for the score to give the Thunderbirds some breathing room, only for the Texans to answer on the next possession with a layup.
Daugherty muscled in a basket through a foul, finishing a three point play to extend the lead to six with 3:08 to go.
After TSU connected on a jumper, Daugherty once again powered her way to the basket and scored a layup plus the foul. Daugherty swished the free throw, giving the T-Birds a comfortable 54-47 advantage with only 45 seconds remaining.
The lead proved to be insurmountable, and the Thunderbirds cruised to a 55-48 victory.
Notable Plays
Up Next
The Thunderbirds will travel to Texas for a contest against UT Arlington. The game is scheduled for an early tip-off at 10:30 A.M. MT.
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