Down 17 points in the second half, the BYU women's basketball team went on an 18-0 run to regain the lead and clinch a 58-53 win over Southern Utah, Wednesday.
The win improves the Cougars' record at 9-3 on the year and they remain undefeated at home. Southern Utah fell to 5-7.
BYU only trailed by three at half time 27-24, but the Cougars failed to score for the first three minutes of the second half as the Thunderbirds pulled away to an 11point lead, 35-24 at the 12 minute mark. SUU's highest lead was 17 points with nine minutes to play. But the Cougar defense didn't allow them to score again for five and a half minutes. And that's when BYU came alive, penetrating aggressively to the basket and creating numerous three-point play opportunities.
"It was our defense that brought us back into the game," said BYU head coach Trent Shippen. It gave us confidence and we began to play with intensity, attacking the basket and being more aggressive."
Four Cougar players scored in double figures with freshman Jennifer Leitner coming off the bench to lead all players with 15 points. Lori Cuff and Stacy Jensen each put 11 points on the board, followed by Erin Thorn's 10 on the night.
Megan Lofthouse led the Thunderbirds with 13 points and three rebounds. Sally Johnson and Melissa Hines also scored in double figures.
The Cougars are back in action on Friday in a 2 p.m. game in Ogden against Weber State.