College basketball: Weber State rally falls just short

EUGENE, Ore. — After trailing by as many as 23 points in the opening half, the Weber State women's basketball team rallied behind some hot shooting but came up just short as UC Irvine escaped Matthew Knight Arena with a 57-54 victory Sunday.

The Wildcats closed their deficit to just three points before a potential game-tying 3-pointer by sophomore guard Justine Johnson came up just short with two seconds remaining. Johnson finished with a game-high 14 points, scoring 12 of those in the second half.

Junior forward Shawnte Taylor came off the bench to add eight points and eight rebounds, while junior forward Amanda Hughes added eight points and five rebounds.

Weber State (0-6) will take a short trip south to face in-state rival Utah on Thursday night at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

SUU 58, NEW MEXICO ST. 57: At Las Cruces, N.M., Southern Utah's women's basketball team captured its first win of the young season Sunday as freshman point guard Hailey Mandelko sank a jumper from the free throw line in the closing seconds of the Aggie Hotel Encanto Thanksgiving Classic finale.

Mandelko finished the game with 14 points, and was one of four T-Birds to score in the double figures. Tayler Anderson and Brenna Gates both posted new career high in points for SUU, scoring 12 and 13 respectively, while junior forward Carli Moreland recorded her second consecutive double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds.

The Thunderbirds return to Cedar City this week for their first home game of the regular season. SUU will host in-state rival Utah Valley on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Centrum Arena.