Southern Utah’s non-conference slate came to a close on Tuesday evening in Iowa City, as the Thunderbirds fell to the Iowa Hawkeyes 92-64.
With the result the Thunderbirds moved to 6-5 on the season, and will take that record into Big Sky Conference play next week.
“Shots weren’t falling for us and we got in foul trouble early in the first half, and those things kind of compounded each other and we ended up with some different lineups and it proved to be too much for us to overcome,” SUU head coach Todd Simon said.
The Thunderbirds held an early lead at 3-2, but the Hawkeyes got going in a hurry. Iowa jumped out to a 13-3 lead quickly after that, and held the lead the remainder of the opening half. The Hawkeyes led by 20 after 20 minutes of play.
Southern Utah wasn’t able to make much of a dent in the Hawkeye lead in the second half, and the Hawkeyes came away with a victory in the contest.
Brandon Better and Jadon Cohee both finished with 12 points in the game for Southern Utah. Cohee also pulled in six rebounds and dished out five assists.
Jamal Aytes and Jacob Calloway both finished with 8 points. Dre Marin had six boards for the Thunderbirds.
The Thunderbirds did some damage from behind the three point line, knocking down eight.
“We got to work on a lot of things, but the number one lesson when you’re playing a quality Big Ten team on their floor is that your margin for error is very small,” Simon said. “For the game we didn’t turn it over too bad, but in the first four minutes we had four which put us in a hole early and gives a team like that a lot of confidence on their home floor.”
As a team, the Hawkeyes shot 52 percent from the field during the contest. Luka Garza led the Hawkeyes in scoring with 17.
Next up for the Thunderbirds will be the start of Big Sky Conference play, as the Thunderbirds will host the Bobcats of Montana State at the America First Event Center on December 28.
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Read all about the Thunderbirds on www.suutbirds.com.
Season tickets for the 2017-18 SUU men’s basketball campaign can be purchased at tbirdtickets.com or at the America First Event Center Ticket Office.
Story By
SUU Athletics Strategic Communications
