FULLERTON, Calif. – In another show of No. 4-ranked Southern Oregon's scoring depth, junior forward Eliza DiGiulio broke out for a career-high 22 points off the bench in an 83-51 win against Hope International (Calif.) on Thursday at Darling Pavilion.
Playing without starting post Morgan Baird, who led them in scoring both games last weekend, the Raiders hit at 53% from the field while improving to 5-0. Junior guard Bridgette McIntyre enjoyed her best shooting night yet, draining 5-of-8 3-point attempts with 17 points, and her sister, senior Meghan McIntyre, went 6-of-9 with 14 points, six rebounds and three steals.
The Raiders are now averaging 81.2 points per game, over 15 more than their Cascade Conference championship team in 2023-24 that only went over 80 twice all season.
DiGiulio, a 5-foot-11 lefty who has shown marked improvement inside, shot 8-of-11 overall and poured in 15 of her points in the first half as SOU built a 35-28 lead. She also hit a pair of 3s, pulled down four rebounds and blocked a shot.
The McIntyre sisters combined for 18 points in the third quarter, where the Raiders extended their lead to 19. Emma Schmerbach helped them finish strong in the fourth and ended up with 13 points and seven rebounds, reaching double figures for the fourth game in a row. SOU shot 10-of-12 from the field in the period.
The Royals (2-4) shot just 8-of-24 in the second half. They've now lost against four different CCC opponents, though this was the most lopsided of the bunch.
SOU rattled off runs of 15-2 in the third quarter and 14-1 in the fourth.
The Raiders have won their first five games for the first time in seven years. They'll conclude a nonleague schedule that includes two top-six wins on Saturday at Life Pacific (Calif.), tipping off at noon.