ST. GEORGE, Utah - A 12-0 run midway through the second half powered the Dixie State women's basketball team to a 70-62 win over the University of Hawaii at Hilo on Saturday night. 

"Tonight we made our free throws and took care of the ball and it made the difference," head coach Jenny Thigpin said. "We challenged them on rebounds and turned them into second-chance points. Overall our tempo and pace were great and we stayed in control. We executed on the run and in transition and that is when we are at our best."

Dixie State (8-15, 7-10) had three players in double figures with Kaylah Miller (San Diego, CA/La Jolla Country Day) scoring 15 and Haileigh Emerine (Spanish Fork, UT/Spanish Fork) and Leslie Tademy (Phoenix, AZ/South Mountain) adding 12 apiece. Emerine pulled down five rebounds and Tademy dished out five assists. Brianna Jessop (Hyrum, UT/Mountain Crest) had six points, 10 rebounds and two blocks while Taylor Mann (Castle Dale, UT/Emery) posted eight points and nine boards.

The second-lowest number of turnovers for the Red Storm (13) on the season helped power the offense to 18 second-chance points and the team held a 46-37 rebounding edge. 

Dixie State led by as many as six in the first half and took a 30-25 lead into halftime. Jessop had six points and seven rebounds off the bench while Tademy led DSU in scoring with eight points. 

In the second half, DSU scored 14 in the first four minutes to push the lead to 44-34.

Hilo kept fighting however and tied up the game at 48-48 with under 10 minutes to play.

Miller drained a triple with a defender in her face, made the shot and Chermayne Moore (Pinole, CA/Hercules) got a steal and score on the next possession to make it 53-48. The run didn't stop there and Dixie State kept running to a 60-48 lead over a four-minute span for the 12-0 difference maker.

The Vulcans made it interesting down the stretch, cutting into the lead to four points at 66-62 with 1:11 on the clock. Three straight turnovers from Hilo and clutch makes from the charity stripe sealed the deal for the Red Storm 70-62.

The Red Storm host Hawaii Pacific on Monday at 5 p.m.