CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah University women's basketball squad overcame a 13 point halftime deficit to come back and triumph 63-56 at the America First Event Center on Thursday, Feb. 9. With the victory, the Thunderbirds improved to 14-8 and 10-1 in Western Athletic Conference play. Meanwhile, the Aggies dropped to 12-12 and 7-5 in WAC play.
Individual Leaders
T-Bird Tidbits
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The Thunderbirds shot an efficient 92.9 percent from the charity stripe, connecting on 13-14 free throws.
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SUU won the rebounding war 40-30, a margin of 10 for the Thunderbirds.
First Half
The Aggies jumped out to a 12-2 advantage with 5:39 left in the first quarter with the Thunderbirds lone basket coming from Megan Jensen.
Daylani Ballena distributed the ball to a wide open Samantha Johnston in the corner, who splashed the three pointer. On the ensuing play, Ballena then drilled a midrange jumper to cut the Aggies lead to only five, 12-7, with 2:52 on the clock.
New Mexico State responded with a layup to extend its lead to seven, 14-7. Cherita Daugherty immediately answered for the Thunderbirds, racing to the rim for the score to make the score 14-9 with 1:42 left.
The Aggies closed out the quarter with another layup to carry a 16-9 lead into the second quarter.
Lizzy Williamson scored on the Thunderbirds first possession of the period, showcasing her finesse down low with a basket in the paint that made the score 16-11.
NMSU fired off an 11-2 burst to make the score 27-13 with 7:03 remaining in the second quarter.
Daugherty replied with a 4-0 run, scoring with a jumper and then a layup, to bring the 'Birds back within 10 points, 27-17, with 5:20 on the clock.
New Mexico State raced ahead with a 5-0 sprint over the following 3:07 of play, going up 32-17 with 2:57 left.
Williamson and Daugherty scored back-to-back buckets for the T-Birds to make the score 32-21 with 2:23 remaining in the half.
The Aggies responded with a 5-2 run to push their advantage to 37-23, with Daugherty converting on another jumper to provide the two points for Southern Utah.
Jensen split a pair of free throws with 15 seconds remaining, making the score 37-24 in favor of the Aggies heading into the break.
Second Half
After New Mexico State added a single point to its total with a free throw, Ballena attacked the rim and scored, cutting the gap to 38-26 with 9:28 to play in the third quarter. On the following play, Williamson crashed the glass and scored off of an offensive rebound to once again cut the lead to only 10, 38-28.
Ballena kept the run going by drilling a trifecta at the 7:54 mark. Daugherty capped off the 9-0 run by the Thunderbirds by muscling in a layup to pull within 38-33.
NMSU countered with a quick 4-0 run to push the lead back to 42-33. Ballena, however, splashed another jumper to cut the deficit back to 42-35.
The Aggies fired off a 6-2 sprint over the next 1:55 of play, with Ballena hitting the jumper for SUU, making the Aggies lead 48-37 with 2:30 on the clock.
Daugherty caught fire, scoring six straight points for the Thunderbirds to pull them within five, 48-43, at the end of the third quarter.
Coming out of the break, Daugherty drained a mid range jump shot that cut the lead to three, 48-45. On the next possession, Daugherty earned a trip to the foul line and canned two free throws to trim the lead to only one, 48-47, with 9:15 left in the game.
After the Aggies split a pair of shots from the charity stripe, Williamson swished a jumper to tie the game at 49-49 at the 8:04 mark.
Alexa Lord battled in the post and banked in the shot to give Southern Utah a 51-49 lead with 4:51 to go.
NMSU countered with a layup to tie the contest. The Thunderbirds once again got the ball to Lord down low, who utilized a pump fake to score and give SUU a 53-51 advantage with 4:10 remaining.
Daugherty sparked the T-Birds with a 6-2 run, shooting a perfect 6-6 at the foul line over this stretch to give Southern Utah a 59-53 lead with only 48 seconds to play.
Lord and Johnston each added a layup to further push the Thunderbirds advantage. NMSU made a three pointer to close the game as Southern Utah closed out the victory, 63-56.
Notable Plays
Up Next
The Thunderbirds will have a short turnaround, as they face the Utah Valley Wolverines this Saturday in Orem. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 2:00 p.m. MT.
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