2007-08 Game Recaps

THUNDERBIRD SHOTS DON'T FALL IN 58-34 LOSS TO UTAH STATE

CEDAR CITY, Utah - Jan. 2 - Southern Utah women's basketball shot a season-low 22 percent from the floor en route to a 58-34 loss to the Utah State Aggies on Wednesday night. The 34-point performance was also a season low and drops the Thunderbirds to 2-11 on the year while USU improves to 4-8.

"The game of basketball is a lot easier when you make shots," Head coach Steve Hodson said after the game. "There wasn't any passion or emotion on the floor and it is really coming down to a make or break point in the season.

"Our team needs to decide how much it means to them and where they want to go," he continued. "We are playing in too many peaks and valleys and we need to get rid of the valleys."

Southern Utah shot 6-of-23 (.261) in the first half, but kept within striking distance by connecting on 7-of-10 (.700) from the free throw line to go into the break down 27-19.

Thunderbird shooters continued to be ice cold, shooting 5-of-27 (.185) in the second half and only 4-of-7 (.571) from the charity stripe. The Aggies capitalized on the scoring draught and built a double-digit lead at the 18:44 mark that remained through the rest of the contest.

SUU's leading scorer, Erin Heuett, turned in six points and six rebounds as the Thunderbirds were held without a double digit scorer for the first time this season.

Jamelah Brown led Utah State with a game-high 13 points as Jenny Gross turned in eight points and a team-high seven rebounds.

Southern Utah will now begin conference play when the Thunderbirds host IUPUI Saturday night. Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. and will be immediately followed by the men's game, also against IUPUI.

Box Score

HUGE SECOND HALF ALMOST ENOUGH IN NARROW 72-71 DEFEAT TO VIKINGS

CEDAR CITY, Utah - Dec. 31 - Southern Utah women's basketball overcame a 20-point halftime deficit and took a 71-70 lead with nine seconds remaining, but it was Portland State's Claire Faucher's shot only seconds later that sealed the 72-71 victory for the Vikings on Monday afternoon. SUU's Anne Westwood poured in a career-high 25 points as the Thunderbirds dropped to 2-10 on the season while PSU improved to 10-3.

Aubrey Mackintosh and Caitlyn Sears also poured in career-highs in points as each collected 16 and 15, respectively as Southern Utah outscored Portland State 49-30 over the final 20 minutes of the game.  SUU's Erin Heuett narrowly missed a shot as the final whistled sounded that would have given the Thunderbirds the win following the tremendous effort.

 "I think our attitude totally changed after the half," head coach Steve Hodson said after the game.  "Our girls got a whole lot tougher and you could see that the game meant more to them than it did in the first half.  It had a great effect on our intensity, focus and execution."

In the first half, Portland State slowly built a double-digit lead midway through the stanza with a 27-16 advantage with 11 minutes remaining.  That lead continued to grow down the stretch as the Vikings finished the half on a 13-4 run for a 42-22 margin at the break.

The second half proved to be entirely different as Southern Utah stormed to an 18-7 run over the first five minutes, trimming the deficit to single digits (49-40) for the first time since the 12-minute mark in the first half.  The run continued as Kaila Goff, Westwood and Mackintosh converted baskets to bring the Thunderbirds to within four (51-47) with 12 minutes remaining.

The teams continued to volley back and forth with the lead staying around six points until a 6-0 run in the span of a ninety seconds tied the game (66-66) with three minutes left for the first time in the contest.  Portland State countered with a bucket and a free throw by Courtney Cremer and another free throw by Kelly Marchant.  Mackintosh's 3-point field goal with 1:43 on the clock trimmed the lead to one (70-69) and another bucket by the sophomore with 15 seconds on the clock game the Thunderbirds their first lead of the game (71-70).

However, Faucher's shot with nine seconds on the clock stole the win from Southern Utah in the 72-71 defeat.

SUU shot a blistering 62.5 percent (20-of-32) in the second half and recorded 14 assists to only 5 turnovers.  Heuett's seven assists on the afternoon turned out to be a new career-high for the senior.

Delaney Conway led all Viking scorers with 17 points, followed by Lexi Bishop's 10.  PSU's leading scoring threat, Kelsey Kahle, was held to just nine points, but collected a team-high eight rebounds. 

The Thunderbirds will be back on the hardwood of the Centrum Arena on Wednesday, Jan. 2 when Southern Utah hosts the Aggies of Utah State.  Tip-off for the in-state clash is scheduled from 7:00 p.m. 

Box Score

SUU FALLS AT IDAHO STATE 82-57

POCATELLO, Idaho - Dec. 20 - Southern Utah women's basketball carried a lead for the first ten minutes of the game, but a hot hand by ISU's Andrea Lightfoot led to an 82-57 defeat at Idaho State on Thursday night.  The loss drops the Thunderbirds to 2-8 and improves the Bengals to 8-3.

Southern Utah opened the game with the initial lead, growing to as large as eight (18-10) with 9:56 remaining in the half.  The Bengals then found their shooting touch as Lightfoot hit the first of five ISU 3-point field goals over the final nine minutes of the half to spark a 27-10 run.

The run propelled Idaho State to a 37-28 advantage going into the intermission.

"We did a great job of frustrating them over that first ten minutes," head coach Steve Hodson said after the game.  "But we let it get away from us over the final six minutes."

The Bengal run continued in the beginning of the second half as Lightfoot hit back-to-back 3-point fields goals.  In all, ISU jacked up 33 of 59 shot attempts from long range and connected on 12.  Lightfoot personally accounted for 5-of-9 from behind the arc.

Southern Utah wasn't able to recover and after shooting 23 percent in the second half wasn't able to string together a counter run.  In the end, Idaho State maintained the double-digit lead through the second half to take the 82-57 home victory.

"This kind of game is why they were picked to win the Big Sky," Hodson said of Idaho State.  "We need to be able to sustain the kind of effort we had in the first ten minutes of the game throughout an entire game.  We had the energy tonight, but needed better mental execution to be able to counter runs."

Erin Heuett led the Thunderbirds with 11 points and added eight rebounds to fill out the box score.  Anne Westwood was close behind with nine points and nine rebounds, following her first conference player of the week award on Tuesday.

ISU's Lightfoot led all scorers with 21 points and nine rebounds.  Natalie Doma (18 points, 12 rebounds) and Michelle Grohs (12 points) joined her in double figures in the final box.

Southern Utah will now break for the Christmas holiday and resume its season when the Thunderbirds travel to Boulder, Colo. for a meeting with the University of Colorado.  Tip-off for the Dec. 28 game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and can be seen on Fox Sports Rocky Mountain.

Box Score

THUNDERBIRDS SINK PILOTS WITH 58-54 HOME VICTORY

CEDAR CITY, Utah - Dec. 17 - Southern Utah women's basketball snapped a seven-game losing skid with a 58-54 win over the Pilots of the University of Portland on Monday night. Anne Westwood led the way with a game-high 21 points and 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the season as SUU improved to 2-7 while UP dropped to 7-5.

"I thought we showed a great deal of maturity tonight," head coach Steve Hodson said after the game. "Each run was countered with a run and we executed well down the stretch."

Neither team held much of an advantage in the first half as the lead swapped hands on three occasions with the score tied seven times in the first 20 minutes. Portland maintained a lead for the first 10 minutes of the game until a Westwood layup and an Erin Heuett jumper tilted the scales to the Thunderbirds' favor.

The Pilots countered with another run and built a seven-point lead with four minutes in the half, but SUU once again answered and finished the half on an 11-4 run to tie the game at 27-27 going into the break.

Following the locker room speeches, Southern Utah carried over its momentum of the first half and built its largest lead of the game at six (38-32) five minutes into the half. UP's Allyson Sievers hit a jumper with six minutes remaining on the clock to cap a 9-3 run over a four-minute span for the Pilots to tie the game for the eighth time during the evening. The score was once again knotted at 52-52 with two minutes remaining on the clock, but Southern Utah did not fold as Westwood's layup and two free throws bookended a Heuett jumper to seal the win for the Thunderbirds.

Heuett joined Westwood in double figures with 12 points, eight rebounds and three steals. Laiken Dollente led the Pilots with 12 points, two assists and block and a steal.

Southern Utah will finish the week at Idaho State on Thursday night before breaking for the Christmas Holidays. Tip-off for the game with the Bengals is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

Box Score

LADY THUNDERBIRDS COMPLETE ROAD SWING WITH 78-56 LOSS AT OAKLAND

ROCHESTER, Mich. – Dec. 8 – Southern Utah women’s basketball dropped a 78-56 decision to Oakland University in the team’s final leg of a two-game road swing on Saturday night.  Oakland used fresher legs, playing in its first game of the week to improve to 5-2 and 1-0 in the Summit League while the Thunderbirds fell to 1-7 and 0-2 in the conference.

Oakland utilized its home court advantage to build a lead of 18-9 midway through the half for its greatest advantage during the first 20 minutes.  The Thunderbirds countered and slowly whittled the deficit to two (29-27) with 3:18 remaining on the clock.

However, the Golden Grizzlies capitalized on four steals down the stretch, building a 12-point spread with 21 seconds remaining.  SUU’s Kaila Goff hit her second 3-poing field goal of the half with seven seconds left on the clock to put the score of 41-32 going into the halftime break.

Following the intermission Southern Utah got to within six points on Goff’s third 3-point field goal of the night, but it was the closest the ‘Birds came as Oakland built a double-digit lead and held on to the advantage for the rest of the game.

“I think the biggest factor of this game was the fact that this was our second game of the week and the first for Oakland,” head coach Steve Hodson said of the team fatigue.  “We got tired, but I think we were able to play with them and sometimes outplay them for 30 minutes tonight.

“Last year they blew us out up here, but this year we put a little bit of fear into them,” Hodson finished.

Goff led all SUU scorers with 12 to set a new career high as Anne Westwood collected a game-high 15 rebounds.  Freshman Jamie Sagers also turned in a new career high with eight points off the bench all in the second half.

April Kidd turned in 13 points to lead the Golden Grizzlies with Hanna Reising (12), Jessica Pike (12) and Melissa Jeltema (11) also in double digits.  Jeltema also led OU in rebounds with 13.

Southern Utah will return back to the friendly confines of the Centrum Arena for its next game when the Thunderbirds host the University of Portland on Dec. 17.  Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

Box Score

LATE RALLY COMES UP SHORT IN 81-70 LOSS AT IPFW

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Dec. 6 – Southern Utah women’s basketball came up just short in an 81-70 conference-opening loss to the IPFW Mastodons on Thursday night.  The loss drops the Thunderbirds to 1-6 and 0-1 in conference while IPFW improves to 3-3 and 1-0 in the Summit League.

SUU trimmed a double-digit second half lead to three late in the game, but a clutch 3-point field goal, one of 11 for the Mastodons on the night, and free throws sealed the game for the home team.

Southern Utah had the first lead of the game and held onto the advantage to the 15:41 mark with a 14-11 score.  IPFW tied the game moments later with the second of nine 3-point field goals in the half.

The 75-percent shooting from behind the arc propelled the Mastodons to a 48-35 lead at the half.  Freshman Challis Pascucci’s season-high matching 12 points in the first 20 minutes, including a perfect six of six from the charity stripe, kept the Thunderbirds close.

In the second half, IPFW ran out to its largest lead of the game of 18 with a 58-40 advantage with 14:22 remaining in the game.

Southern Utah then put together an impressive 11 minutes with a 27-12 run to trim the IPFW lead to three points.  The Thunderbird run was capped by an Anne Westwood free throw as the junior led the team with a team-high 19 points and eight rebounds.

“We had a big change there in the second half and really got into a good rhythm,” head coach Steve Hodson said of the 11-minute run.  “We executed well on both ends of the floor.  I saw a lot of improvement this game, but we still need to work on being more consistent and not have so many peaks and valleys.”

The Mastodons countered and held onto the lead in the waning minutes of the game by shooting a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line to hold home court and come out with an 81-70 win.

Challis Pascucci and Aubrey Mackintosh joined Westwood in double figures with season highs of 15 and 13 points, respectively.  IPFW’s Johnna Lewis-Carlisle led all scorers with 24 points and a game-high eight assists.  Tina Moen, Jordan Zuppe and Samantha Edwards also collected double-digits in points with 13, 12 and ten, respectively.

Southern Utah had its best shooting night of the season by connecting on 46 percent of its attempts and scoring a season-high 70 points.  Pascucci’s 15 points and Kaila Goff’s five assists were each new career highs for the freshmen.

Southern Utah will continue its first conference road swing on Saturday when the Thunderbirds travel to Rochester, Mich. for a meeting with the Golden Grizzlies of Oakland University.  Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. (EST).

Box Score

WOMEN'S HOOPS FALL AT HOME TO OREGON STATE 66-46

CEDAR CITY, Utah – Nov. 26 – Southern Utah women’s basketball suffered its second home loss this season with a 66-46 setback to the Oregon State Beavers on Monday night.  The loss drops the Thunderbirds to 1-5 while OSU improves to 4-1.

Southern Utah stayed with the PAC-10 school throughout most of the the first half, but fizzled at the end of the first and the beginning of the second as the Beavers put together the definitive 11-0 run to seal the win.

“I thought we executed well in the first half, but we need to complete the half better and treat every possession with importance,” head coach Steve Hodson said after the game.  “We need to come out in the second half with the same fire and intensity that we have at the opening whistle.”

The Thunderbirds took the first lead of the game as freshman Caitlyn Sears nailed a 3-point field goal on a pass from fellow freshman-starter Kaila Goff following the opening tip.

However, it was the first and only lead of the game for SUU as Oregon State began chipping away and built a lead as large as nine points (18-9) with 11 minutes remaining in the first half.

Southern Utah countered and cut the lead to two as Erin Heuett connected on a 3-point attempt to bring the Thunderbirds to within 18-16 with nine minutes remaining.

SUU continued to keep the Beavers within a manageable distance with the opposition’s lead growing to only five.  Southern Utah persisted in its counter runs and trimmed the lead to two for the second in the half as freshman Challis Pascucci hit the front end of a one and one to make the difference 23-21 with four minutes remaining.

Oregon State then began its 11-0 run stretching over the final four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second.  By that time, the Beaver lead had grown to 34-21 and OSU continued to hold the double-digit advantage throughout the second half.

The Beavers capped their largest lead of the game at 27 with the 64-27 advantage at the 3:57 mark, but Southern Utah’s grit cut the lead to 20 when the final whistle sounded.

Anne Westwood and Pascucci led the Thunderbirds in points with 12 a piece with Heuett joining the duo in double figures with 11.  Westwood also led the team in rebounds with seven.

Oregon State’s Ashley Allen led all scorers with a game-high 23 with Talisa Rhea (17) and Brittney Davis (10) also in double figures.

Southern Utah will now have almost two weeks before its next games when the team travels and begins Summit League play in the first week of December.  On tap for the Thunderbirds will be the Mastodons of IPFW on Thursday, Dec. 6 and the Golden Grizzlies of Oakland University on Saturday, Dec. 8.

Box Score

SOUTHERN UTAH FALLS 63-45 AT SAN DIEGO

SAN DEIGO, Calif. – Nov. 23 – Southern Utah women’s basketball dropped a 63-45 decision to the Toreros of San Diego on Friday night as the Thunderbirds’ losing streak has now hit four.  On the year, SUU is 1-4 while USD improves to 3-2.

Neither team was able to find a shooting touch in the beginning of the first half.  San Diego put the first points on the board following the first two minutes of the game, but the Thunderbirds countered with a basket of their own on the very next possession.

Shooting percentages once again dropped and it wasn’t until four minutes later when freshman Challis Pascucci connected on the back end of a one and one that the Thunderbirds had the first lead of the game at 3-2.

The teams continued to struggle as the Thunderbirds and Toreros swapped leads throughout the rest of the half, until a mini 5-0 run for USD at the end of the half translated into a three-point (21-18) advantage going into the break.

San Diego carried the closing momentum into the beginning of the second half, turning the 5-0 run into a 13-0 run for the early 29-18 advantage in the first three minutes.

The home team maintained its double-digit lead throughout the half with Southern Utah slicing the lead to as close as ten (36-26) with 14 minutes to play.  However, the Thunderbirds were not able to counter the opening run and fell in the end 63-45.

Erin Heuett led all Southern Utah scorers with 12 points as Anne Westwood, Kaila Goff and Hailee Truman each collected seven.  USD’s Kiva Herman led all scorers with 14 as Amanda Rego and Sam Child also recorded double-digit scoring nights with 11.

Southern Utah was out rebounded for only the second time this year in the 49-39 differential.  Hailee Truman collected a game-high eight rebounds on the night to lead the Thunderbirds.

SUU had its best performance from behind the 3-point arc during the evening, connecting on 5-of-12 from downtown.  Heuett led the charge shooting 2-of-3 from long range.

Southern Utah will now return home for its next contest when the Thunderbirds host the Beavers of Oregon State University on Monday, Nov. 26.  Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

Box Score

TURNOVER BUG BITES THUNDERBIRS IN 86-52 LOSS AT SAN DIEGO STATE

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Nov. 20 – Southern Utah women’s basketball suffered its third loss this season with an 86-52 defeat at San Diego State on Tuesday night.  The loss drops the Thunderbirds to 1-3 on the year while the Aztecs improve to 3-0.

San Diego State capitalized on 36 SUU turnovers during the game and collected a total of 47 points from the miscues.  Turnovers have plagued the Thunderbirds throughout the young season with the team averaging 25.5 per game.

Southern Utah turnovers against the Aztecs looked to be due to inexperience as the three freshmen guards for the Thunderbirds totaled 22 turnovers, equaling almost two-thirds of the giveaways.

"This game was really a tale of two halves," head coach Steve Hodson said after the game.  "They were in full-court pressure the entire game, but we were able to settle in a little bit in the second half and make a bit of a run.  I was really pleased with our effort over the final 20 minutes."

The Aztecs got out to a quick start on their home floor and built a 12-0 advantage four minutes into the contest.  Southern Utah found its first basket at the 16:21 mark as Erin Heuett recorded a steal and fed Challis Pascucci for a transition lay-up.

However, points proved to be sparse for Southern Utah in the first 20 minutes with San Diego State taking a 43-18 lead into the break.  The large deficit was largely due to 19 first-half turnovers by SUU and only a 31-percent clip from the field.

Southern Utah came out strong in the second half and trimmed the SDSU lead to its smallest of 17 (59-42) with nine minutes remaining in the half, but were not able to get any closer.  San Diego State pulled away once again in the closing minutes with the 86-52 win.

Anne Westwood led the Thunderbirds with 13 points and 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the season.  Heuett joined Westwood in double figures with 11 points and filled out the box score with five rebounds and four assists.  The Thunderbirds once again out rebounded their opponent with a 36-33 advantage and have now outrebounded the opposition in three of their four outings.

Southern Utah was held without a 3-point field goal during the night as the team shot 0-for-3 from behind the arc to snap the fourth-longest streak in the nation at 321 games with a bucket from long range.

The Thunderbirds will remain on the road in San Diego as the team will face the Toreros of San Diego on Friday, Nov. 23.  Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. pacific time.

Box Score

SLOW START DOOMS WOMEN'S HOOPS IN 75-55 DEFEAT TO UVSC

CEDAR CITY, Utah – Nov. 15 – Despite leading the Wolverines in many statistical categories, Southern Utah women’s basketball was not able to recover from a slow start and fell to Utah Valley 75-55 in the Centrum Arena on Thursday night.  The loss drops the Thunderbirds to 1-2 on the season while UVSC improves to 3-0.

“We had some good looks in those opening minutes, but we didn’t make the shots,” head coach Steve Hodson said after the game.  “We could blame the start on youth or many other things, but the problem is your opponent doesn’t care about any of those things and you better come out and play every night.”

Southern Utah began the game with the first points of the contest as Aubrey Mackintosh sank a jumper off an opening UVSC turnover.  However, it would be the only points for the Thunderbirds over the next seven minutes as the Wolverines built an 11-2 advantage.

SUU continued to struggle in finding its shooting touch during the remainder of the half, connecting on only 27-percent of its shots.  Utah Valley’s lead continued to grow as the Wolverines shot over 50-percent (51.6) to take a 42-20 advantage into the break.

The Thunderbirds came out of the halftime break and began to chip away at the UVSC lead, trimming the gap to 44-26 over the first two minutes of the half.

However, the Wolverines held their ground and the lead with the Thunderbirds coming only as close as 16 with seven minutes on the clock.

The final horn sounded as Southern Utah outscored the Wolverines 35-33 in the final 20 minutes, but UVSC came out on top 75-55.

UVSC’s Julie Mcmurray led all scorers with 23 and was joined by teammates Sandy Marvin (21), Robyn Fairbanks (13) and Rebekah Peterson (10) in double figures.

Freshmen Caitlyn Sears and Challis Pascucci led the Thunderbirds in points with 13 and 12, respectively.  Sears’ three 3-point baskets helped prolong SUU’s streak of long-range connections to 321 games.

Pascucci finished the game with six blocks to put herself on the Southern Utah record books, ranking third all-time in a game with former SUU great Myndee Larsen.

Anne Westwood also set a new career high with 18 rebounds, collecting more boards as an individual than half of the Utah Valley roster.

As a team, Southern Utah out rebounded the Wolverines to the tune of 48 to 35.

The Thunderbirds will be back in action next week when SUU travels to San Diego for two games over the Thanksgiving break.  Southern Utah will begin against San Diego State on Tuesday, Nov. 20 and then wrap up the road trip with the University of San Diego on Friday, Nov. 23.

Box Score

THUNDERBIRDS DROP FIRST ROAD TRIP OF THE SEASON 87-38 AT KANSAS STATE

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Nov. 12 – Southern Utah women’s basketball dropped its road opener at Kansas State on Monday night in an 87-38 defeat at the hands of the Wildcats.  With the loss, the Thunderbirds drop to 1-1 on the season while KSU moved to 2-0.

Kansas State used an opening 10-0 run over the first three minutes of the game to build a double-digit lead the team carried throughout the first half.

“I think we shot ourselves in the foot with our slow start,” head coach Steve Hodson said after the game.  “They had a decent press and were very active.  But, we did have two freshmen starters and 5,000 people in the stands and I think nerves definitely played a part in it.”

The Thunderbirds struggled with 14 turnovers during the first 20 minutes leading to 15 points for the Wildcats.  Kansas State also used nine offensive rebounds to collect 11 second-chance points, building the lead to 44-18 at the break.

Anne Westwood kept Southern Utah in the first half with eight points as Aubrey Mackintosh extended the Thunderbirds’ 319-game streak with two first half 3-point baskets.

Following the break the Thunderbirds put the first points of the second half on the board with Erin Heuett’s opening bucket.  Southern Utah also held the Wildcats without a basket over the first four minutes of the half.

However, Kansas State once again found its stroke as Shalee Lehning ended the cold streak with one of six 3-point field goals for KSU in the second half.  Lehning ended the game with 16 points, six rebounds, eight assists and six steals to led the Wildcats to the 87-38 victory.

Westwood ended the game with 11 points to lead the Thunderbirds as Challis Pascucci led the team with six rebounds.

Southern Utah will now return to the friendly confines of the Centrum Arena when the Thunderbirds host Utah Valley State in an in-state battle on Thursday, Nov. 15.  Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

Box Score

LATE FLURRY LEADS TO THUNDERBIRD WIN OVER CONCORDIA 66-55

CEDAR CITY, Utah – Nov. 9 – Southern Utah women’s basketball used a 13-2 run over the final four minutes of the game to secure a come-from-behind 66-55 victory over the Eagles of Concordia on Friday night. Anne Westwood and Challis Pascucci led the Thunderbirds in the win with 17 points and 16 rebounds and 12 points and 14 rebounds, respectively.

“We have kids on this program who know how to win and won’t fold it up and call it a night when we’re down,” head coach Steve Hodson said after the game.  “We were not as focused as we needed to be tonight and our concentration level was just not there.  But, we have a team that is willing to learn and they want to be great.”

Southern Utah struggled to find its rhythm early in the game as Concordia also got off to a slow start.  However, the Eagles were able to build a ten-point lead midway through the first half with an 18-8 advantage with nine minutes remaining.

Concordia’s lead capped at 13 (26-13) with six minutes remaining in the half when the Thunderbirds began a late surge, stringing together a 14-4 run to end the period.

The teams went into the locker rooms with the Eagles leading the Thunderbirds 30-27.

Following the break, Southern Utah took the lead for the first time since the tip of the ball on a 3-point bucket by Aubrey Mackintosh to begin the half.

However, the Eagles battled back as Thunderbird shooters went cold to build another lead of nine points on a 3-point basket by Kayanna Nichols with 13:18 showing on the clock.

Nichols entered the game for Concordia scoring more than 16 points a game, but was held to 11 during the contest on 4-of-13 shooting.

Southern Utah once again turned up the defense to put together a 13-4 run over the next seven minutes to tie the game at 49-49 with six minutes remaining in the game.

With the teams continuing to battle, freshman Stephanie Sampson connected on two free throws to tie the game and then give the Thunderbirds a lead the team would not relinquish down the stretch.

Pascucci, Sampson and fellow freshman Kaila Goff joined Westwood to hit eight free throws over the final four minutes with Goff, Cash Connors and Pascucci each connecting from the court for the 66-55 victory.

Westwood led the team in blocks with two as Erin Heuett led the team with three steals.  Connors was the only other scorer for the Thunderbirds in double-figures with 12 points.  Nichols and Nichole Fu led Concordia in scoring with 11 and 12, respectively.

Southern Utah will now face its first road test of the season when the Thunderbirds travel to Manhattan, Kan. for a meeting with the Wildcats of Kansas State on Monday, Nov. 12.  Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. central time.

Box Score

LADY THUNDERBIRDS FINISH EXHIBITION TILT WITH 80-59 WIN OVER THE UTAH PRIDE

CEDAR CITY, Utah - Nov. 6 - Southern Utah women's basketball finished its exhibition tilt with an 80-59 win over the Utah Pride, made up of players with previous college baskeball experience.  Among the players for the Pride, SUU alumnus Julie Stradling scored a game-high 20 points in the losing effort.  The Thunderbirds had four players in double figures as Anne Westwood and Challis Pascucci narrowly missed double-doubles with 14 points and nine rebounds and 16 points and nine rebounds, respectively.

“I think we took another step up tonight,” head coach Steve Hodson said after the game.  “There are some things that we need to fix and we’ll have those things fixed for Friday.”

One of the things that Hodson will look to fine tune will be limiting turnovers after yielding 20 against the Pride.

“They did a great job of using their experience of playing at this level and anticipated a lot of our passes,” the coach said of the turnovers.  “However, we were able to shoot well tonight and that helped us to the win.”

As a team, the Thunderbirds shot almost 50-percent from the floor connecting on 33 of 67 shot attempts.  Westwood led the charge on six-of-eight shooting while Cash Connors collect four 3-point baskets on six attempts.

Southern Utah began the game on a 14-4 run during the first five minutes of the game to build its first double-digit lead.  The Pride trimmed the lead to as little as four, but two free throws by Pascucci midway through the first half put the Thunderbirds back up by 11 (28-17).

The lead was once again shaved to four points with a six minutes remaining in the half before Southern Utah used a late-half surge to string together a 14-7 run to go into the break with a 42-31 advantage.

The Thunderbirds maintained the double-digit lead through the second half with the gap growing to as much as 26 late in the game.

Pascucci and fellow freshman Jamie Sagers each collected two blocks in the final 20 minutes of play for Southern Utah.  Another freshman, Caitlyn Sears, led the Thunderbirds in assists with five as SUU wrapped up the game with the 80-59 win.

Hailee Truman (10 points) and Connors (12 points) joined Westwood and Pascucci with double-digit scoring numbers as Carley Marshall (12 points) joined Stradling in double-figures for the Utah Pride.

SUU fans also had the chance to watch alumnus Charmaine Piula (5 pts., 5 reb., 4 steals), Silvia da Silva (2 pts., 2 reb.) and Sunny Evans (5 pts., 4 reb.) step back on to the Centrum’s floor as members of the Utah Pride during the evening.

Southern Utah will begin the regular season on Friday when the Thunderbirds host Concordia with the opening tip scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

Box Score
Exhibition Season Cume Stats

SOUTHERN UTAH POSTS 74-52 WIN OVER DIXIE STATE IN EXHIBITION OPENER

CEDAR CITY, Utah - Nov. 1 - Southern Utah women's basketball opened the exhibition season with a win as the Thunderbirds posted a 74-52 score over the Rebels of Dixie State College on Thursday night.  SUU had four players score in double figures, led by Anne Westwood's double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds.

Southern Utah used the first ten minutes of the half to build a 22-10 advantage capped by a lay-up from Erin Heuett on an assist from freshman Caitlyn Sears.  The Thunderbirds topped another 14-point advantage with 6:37 showing on the clock as another freshman, Stephanie Sampson, drained two free throws.

The Rebels used the final six minutes of the half to whittle away at the Southern Utah lead with a 15-7 run at the end of the half to bring the score to 34-28 for the Thunderbirds at the break.

The six-point margin was the closest Dixie would come as Southern Utah built another double-digit lead early in the second half, ballooning to as much as 24 late in the quarter.  In the end, the Thunderbirds captured the 74-52 win.

Heuett (14 points), Aubrey Mackintosh (10 points) and Sears (11 points) joined Westwood in scoring double figures as Heuett also added seven rebounds and four assists in her first game back from an injury that ended her 2006-07 season early.

Freshman Challis Pascucci was just shy of double figures with nine, but tied junior Hailee Truman with a team-high two blocks.

“I really liked what I saw tonight,” head coach Steve Hodson said after the game.  “We did a great job of sharing the ball and making the extra pass and it led to some good things.”

The Thunderbirds will be back on the floor in their final exhibition game next Tuesday when the team hosts the Utah Pride on Nov. 6.  Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

Box Score