ABILENE, Texas - The Southern Utah University women's basketball team outscored Abilene Christian 28-14 in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough as the Wildcats would outlast the Thunderbirds to win in overtime 89-83.

SUU's record moved to 17-9 and 13-2 in the Western Athletic Conference, while Abilene Christian improved its record to 13-14 and 7-9 in WAC play.

T-Bird Tidbits

• Cherita Daugherty led the charge for the T-Birds offensively with 18 points to go along with a team-high six assists.

• Tomekia Whitman racked up a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds off of the bench for Southern Utah.

• Three other T-Birds scored in double digits with Samantha Johnston (17), Lizzy Williamson (12), and Daylani Ballena (10) all eclipsing the 10 point mark.

• Southern Utah shot an efficient 45.2 percent from the field while holding its competition to only 42.5 percent shooting.

First Half

Southern Utah struck first, jumping out to a 4-0 lead after a put-back basket by Lizzy Williamson and a jumper by Cherita Daugherty.

The Wildcats would fire off six straight points to claim a 6-4 advantage with 7:46 remaining in the quarter.

Daylani Ballena drilled a three pointer to retake the lead for the Thunderbirds. After ACU briefly jumped back in front, Samantha Johnston splashed a trifecta with 6:42 on the clock to push the Thunderbirds ahead 10-8.

ACU scored five consecutive points to reclaim a 13-10 lead with 4:41 left.

Southern Utah replied with a 6-0 run, highlighted by a jumper by Daugherty, to go up 16-13 at the 3:24 mark.

Abilene Christian finished the quarter with a 6-2 sprint, with Megan Jensen providing the basket for the Thunderbirds, to hold a 19-18 lead heading into the second period.

Tomekia Whitman split a pair of free throws to tie the match at 19 apiece with 8:59 on the clock. The two teams traded baskets for the next few possessions, with Williamson connecting on two jumpers for the T-Birds, as the Wildcats led by one, 24-23, at the 6:12 mark.

Jensen raced to the rim for a score to give SUU back the lead with 5:14 left in the half.

Whitman went on a personal 4-0 run to extend the lead to six, 29-24, for the Thunderbirds.

ACU answered by scoring seven straight points over the final 2:11 of play, to give the Wildcats a 31-29 advantage at the break.

Second Half

The Wildcats extended their lead to four by hitting a layup at the 9:42 mark in the third quarter of play.

Daugherty and Williamson hit back-to-back jumpers on the next two possessions to tie the game at 33-33.

The two squads split the next 10 points, with Daugherty hitting a layup and Johnston splashing a three for Southern Utah, to make the score 38-38 with 7:46 remaining in the period.

ACU ended the third quarter with a 22-8 sprint to push its lead to fourteen, 60-46.

Southern Utah came out strong to begin the fourth quarter, scoring on its first three possessions. Daugherty drove to the rim for the score. On the following play, Whitman distributed the ball for a wide open Johnston behind the arc, who drilled a triple. The Thunderbirds then got the ball back to Daugherty, who attacked the paint for the layup to cut the ACU lead to only seven, 60-53, with 8:56 on the clock.

Williamson connected on a shot in the paint on the following possession to continue the SUU run. Daugherty then earned an old-fashioned three point play to cap off a 12-0 burst by the Thunderbirds to pull them within two points, 60-58, at the 7:24 mark.

Abilene Christian connected on a jumper to register its first points of the period. Johnston responded by drilling a three pointer on the following possession to cut the ACU lead to a single point, 62-61.

After ACU replied with a three of its own, Johnston connected on a jumper to make the score 65-63 with 6:25 on the clock.

The Wildcats added a single point to their total by splitting a pair of free throws, putting them up by three.

Whitman splashed an open trifecta from the corner to tie the game at 66-66 with 5:12 remaining. Daugherty hit a jumper on the following possession to give SUU a 68-66 advantage.

After ACU retook the lead with a triple, Daugherty tied the game at 69 apiece with a free throw. The Wildcats went on a 5-2 run over the next 1:24 of play to take a 74-72 lead.

On the following possession Whitman kept the play alive with the offensive rebound, allowing Williamson to tie the game at 74-74 with 1:17 to play.

Neither would score over the final 1:17, setting up an overtime period.

Overtime

The Wildcats struck first, splashing a three on their first possession to give ACU a 77-74 advantage.

Ballena connected on a jumper to cut the Wildcats lead to only one, 77-76, with 3:42 remaining.

ACU went on an 8-0 run over the next 2:13 of play to take a 84-76 lead.

The lead proved to be insurmountable, as the Wildcats held on to take a 89-83 victory.

Up Next

The Thunderbirds will remain on the road as they face Tarleton State on Saturday, Feb. 25. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 1:00 p.m. MT.

Follow Us

For all the latest on Southern Utah women's basketball, follow @SUUWBasketball on Twitter and Instagram and like the Southern Utah Women's Basketball Facebook page.