The Dixie State University women’s basketball team was able to put together a huge win over conference rival Brigham Young University-Hawaii 62-60 Tuesday night.
The game was tied up five different times before Dixie was able to break away with 19 unanswered points just before going into the half.
BYU-H was able to put together a run of its own as the second half got underway, capitalizing on rebounds and 3-pointers to cut the deficit to one point.
Dixie remained ahead of the Seasiders for the rest of the half until 18 seconds left on the clock. BYU-Hawaii’s Jiashan Cui rained a huge 3-pointer from well beyond the arc, tying the game at 60.
Senior guard Haley Holmstead was able to put in a fantastic jump shot to put the Red Storm up by two with seven seconds on the clock, which is where they ended the night.
After the game, head coach Catherria Turner explained that the defense was the deciding factor at the end of the night.
“We normally play a man-to-man (defense), and this game we had to play a zone and [the team] stepped up and really gave us the intensity,” Turner said.
Sophomore center Taylor Mann finished the night with 19 rebounds overall with 11 of them off the defensive glass. Junior guard Miranda Moore was able to put together four steals to help the overpowering defense.
“[Moore] also really stepped up tonight, and she really had an impact,” Turner said. “She gave us a little bit of spark.”
On the offensive side of the court, Holmstead put up an outstanding 20 points, including her game winning shot, and Moore made her mark by leading the team with four assists.
The Red Storm improve to 8-7 in conference and prepare to play two of their final three home games this week. DSU plays University of Hawaii at Hilo Thursday and another against Chaminade University Saturday. Both games begin at 5 p.m.