The Southern Utah University men’s basketball will continue conference play by hosting Stephen F. Austin State University on Saturday, Jan. 13, at 6:30 p.m. The Lumberjacks enter the Western Athletic Conference matchup with an overall record of 10-6 and are third in the conference at 3-2. The Thunderbirds sit at 5-10 and remain winless in the conference after losing its first four games by an average of 18.5 points.
Stephen F. Austin
The Lumberjacks enter the matchup following a close defeat against Utah Tech University on Thursday, Jan. 11. In the loss, SFA struggled to score in the second half, shooting just 26% from the floor while also missing all 11 three-point attempts.
SFA’s offense averages just under 79 points per game, sitting at No. 82 in Division l. The Lumberjack defense has been impressive as well, giving up just 69.5 points per game.
The Lumberjacks have one of the most well-rounded offenses in the WAC with 10 players averaging five or more points per game. The only double-digit scorer, Sadaidriene Hall plays just over 20 minutes per game and also leads the team in rebounds with 5.1 to go along with the 10.8 points. SFA’s redshirt senior guard AJ Cajuste leads the way, averaging three assists per game to round out their balanced offensive attack.
Southern Utah
The Thunderbirds are still looking for their first conference win in the Rob Jeter era. During SUU’s last game, they struggled immensely in the second half as Utah Valley University held them to just 8/29 from the floor.
Poor shooting has been a constant theme for the Thunderbirds throughout the year, as they rank No. 260 in effective field goal percentage at .49. Sophomore Parsa Fallah has been a bright spot for the offense, averaging 14.8 points and a team-leading 6.3 rebounds per game while shooting 58% from the floor and over 70% at the free-throw line. Fallah’s impressive shooting percentage puts him at No. 47 among all qualifying Division l scorers.
Redshirt freshman Braden Housley, the Thunderbirds’ starting point guard, will need to be smart with the ball. Over the last three games, Housley has turned over the ball a total of 14 times compared to the six-game stretch before where he totaled just eight turnovers.
The Thunderbirds are 3-0 all-time against Stephen F. Austin with an average margin of victory of 17 points.
Author: Brig Pyfer
Photographer: Anden Garfield
Editor: Anden Garfield
sports@suunews.net