SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- The USD women's basketball team (2-0) defeated Southern Utah 72-59 Tuesday evening inside the Jenny Craig Pavilion. The Toreros never trailed and had three players score in double-digits, led by Aubrey Ward-El's 17 points.

Maya Hood was playing in her first game since December 2016 and immediately made her presence felt, scoring six points in her first two minutes on the floor. She finished the game with 12 points and seven rebounds. Alexandra Hagen was the other Torero in double-digits, scoring ten points.

The Toreros played great defense all night, holding the Thunderbirds scoreless for two separate five-minute stretches in the first half. The Toreros allowed just 16 points on 20 percent shooting through two quarters and held a 35-16 lead at the half.

USD extended their lead to as large as 23 points in the third quarter (42-19) only to see the Thunderbirds close the gap to nine points (51-42) after finishing the quarter on a 7-0 run.

Down the stretch, the Toreros struggled offensively, turning the ball over 11 times in the fourth quarter while not making a field goal for the final five minutes. However, USD was clutch at the free-throw line and didn't let the Thunderbirds get closer than six points.

The Toreros outrebounded the Thunderbirds 44-33 led by Caroline Buhr's eight boards. USD forced them into 26 turnovers, but the Toreros committed 22 themselves. Southern Utah was led by Natalie Sanchez who scored 14 points.

The Toreros head to beautiful Hawai'i this weekend for their first road trip of the year where they will play Boise State (Friday) and Hawai'i (Sunday) as part of the Bank of Hawai'i Classic.