The Southern Utah University men’s basketball team matched up against the California Baptist University Lancers in the first game of conference play. Southern Utah’s struggle on defense led to a blowout victory for the Lancers with a final score of 91-66.
First half
The first half started electric on both sides, with SUU forward Parsa Fallah winning the tip-off and SUU guard Dominique Ford scoring the first two points of the game. The energy did not stop there, as Southern Utah and California Baptist exchanged shots throughout the first five minutes of the game until SUU led 13-7. The scoring battle paused as both teams began struggling with turnovers and fouls.
After the scoring drought, the Lancers caught up and took a 19-14 lead with just over eleven minutes left in the half. CBU continued extending their lead with a barrage of five three-pointers from guard Scotty Washington, giving the Lancers a 26-18 lead. Southern Utah continued to play hard to keep CBU’s lead manageable. This was led by great post play by Fallah, who led SUU’s scoring for the half with nine points. SUU kept good rhythm shooting the ball, cutting the lead to five with one minute left. The half ended with CBU up 42-34.
Second half
The Thunderbirds came out of the break scoring the first points of the half. Both teams exchanged back-and-forth shots for the first few minutes. CBU then started dominating the court, going on a 14-1 run to build a 58-39 lead. This was led by CBU guard Brantly Stevenson, who scored five points and dished out an assist during the run. He ended the night with 15 points and three rebounds.
Things did not get better for SUU, as they had serious turnover and foul issues throughout the half. The Thunderbirds also could not get many defensive stops, making it difficult to cut into CBU’s lead. The score was 63-46 CBU with 11 minutes left in regulation. This strong second-half performance was the product of many California Baptist players. CBU guards Washington, Stevenson and Blondeau Tchoukuiegno, as well as forward Yvan Ouedraogo, all scored double-digit points on the night.
Despite the tough night, there were commendable scoring efforts on SUU’s side. SUU guards Ford, Braden Housley and Prophet Johnson, along with Fallah, all had double-digit scoring. The Thunderbirds were never able to make progress cutting into the Lancers’ lead during the half, resulting in a final score of 91-66.
Explosive players
— Washington scored 21 points, including six three-pointers.
— Tchoukuiengo had a great all-around game with 16 points, three rebounds and two assists.
— Fallah scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
— Johnson scored 15 points with six rebounds and a block.
Key stats
— CBU forced 17 turnovers from SUU, scoring 23 points off them.
— CBU shot 11/23 from three, while SUU shot 2/9.
— SUU had 11 team fouls in the second half.
— SUU only had 50 shot attempts, their fewest number of shots this season.
— SUU only had six bench points compared to CBU’s 31.
Up next for Southern Utah
Southern Utah looks to secure their first conference win against the Seattle University Redhawks on Saturday, Dec. 2, at 4 p.m. MST. This matchup can be attended at the Redhawk Center or streamed on ESPN+.
Author: Jacob McQueary
Photographer: Anden Garfield
Editor: Anden Garfield
sports@suunews.net
