CEDAR CITY, Utah – Undermanned and facing the top competition the WAC has to offer, Tarleton showed grit and fight throughout Saturday's game at Southern Utah. The Texans led at halftime and the game was tight from start to finish, but Tarleton couldn't muster enough at the end in their 55-48 loss.
 
The Texans (7-13, 1-8 WAC) have a lot to be proud of from their performance in Cedar City, Utah. First, Southern Utah (12-7, 8-0 WAC) entered as one of the hottest teams in the nation, winners of seven straight (now eight straight) and the WAC's lone remaining undefeated team in conference play. Second, Tarleton has been hit by injuries much of 2022-23, and were down to 10 available players Saturday.
 
Defensively, the Texans came out swinging, forcing SUU to commit seven turnovers (zero by Tarleton) and shoot just 4-of-13 (.308) in the first quarter. Tarleton took their first lead at 5-4 just over three minutes in and they allowed just six points over the first seven minutes. The Thunderbirds broke an 8-8 tie with a three-pointer at the 1:27 mark to lead 11-8 going into the second.
 
The Texans' offense exploded in the second quarter, shooting 7-of-12 (.583) from the field and 3-of-5 (.600) from distance. Tarleton started the frame with a 7-0 run to lead 15-11 nearly three minutes in. From there, each team responded with runs of their own. SUU answered with a 6-0 spurt to retake the lead 17-15. Trailing 19-17, Tarleton raced to a 10-1 sprint to the 2:09 mark to go up by seven, their largest lead of the game. SUU closed with five points for a 27-25 Tarleton advantage at halftime.
 
The third quarter proved to be the difference in the result, with Southern Utah winning the frame 18-9 to lead 43-36 headed to the fourth. SUU came out of the locker room with fire, scoring the second half's first nine points to take a seven-point lead. The Thunderbirds also got seven free throws in the frame, including five over the past two minutes.
 
In the fourth, Tarleton kept fighting and got within one possession twice, as late as the 3:26 mark. Cherita Daugherty had two and-ones late to keep the Thunderbirds on top.
 
For the game, both teams were nearly identical shooting, with Tarleton at 19-of-57 (.333) and four three-point makes, and Southern Utah at 19-of-52 (.365), plus four three-point makes. Although Tarleton had a big advantage in turnovers, forcing 19 compared to just eight giveaways, the Thunderbirds won the battle of the boards 45-27.
 
Tyler Jackson had her highest scoring game since Dec. 6 with 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Teresa Da Silva finished with 14 points and three steals. Mayra Caicedo totaled eight points and four assists, while Emilia Axelsson pulled down nine rebounds off the bench.
 
Daugherty powered SUU with a double-double at 14 points, 11 rebounds and three assists. Tomekia Whitman had 14 points and four rebounds to lead the Thunderbird reserves.
 
Tarleton has lost four straight and 10 of their last 11.
 
The Texans will have yet another challenge in their next game, a Thursday night home contest against Stephen F. Austin at 6 p.m. It will be a "Purple Out Wisdom" themed game for the Texans as they aim to knock off the No. 1 ranked team in the WAC WBB Resume Seeding System. Tarleton is 6-3 at home this year.