The Southern Utah University men’s basketball team lost against Stephen F. Austin State University 84-82 on a last-second layup from guard AJ Cajuste on Saturday night in the America First Event Center. With the loss, Southern Utah falls to 5-11 overall and 0-5 in the Western Athletic Conference. Stephen F. Austin improves to 11-6 on the season and 4-2 in the WAC.
First half
Junior guard Sadaidriene Hall got things going for SFA with a steal and a layup. Parsa Fallah answered right back for SUU with a pick-and-roll to get on the board as both teams came out shooting the ball with efficiency. Throughout the next six minutes, it was back and forth for both teams. With about 10 minutes left, SFA increased their lead to eight points off a pair of shots from Kimahri Wilson and Matt Hayman.
Southern Utah kept battling, keeping things close and eventually taking the lead thanks to a three-pointer from Dominique Ford. After a pair of free throws from Hall and a quick five points from Frank Stiene, Stephen F. Austin took a five-point lead with just under two minutes left in the half. Southern Utah responded with a three-point play from Fallah and a pair of free throws from Ford to go into halftime tied at 43-43.
At the break, Ford led all players with 14 points, while Hayman led SFA with 12 points on 5/7 shooting.
Second half
Guard Zion Young got things going in the first three minutes of the second half with a pair of three-pointers to give SUU the lead. Over the next five minutes, Hayman scored seven points to tie the game up at 60. Stephen F. Austin continued to put pressure on Southern Utah, forcing a pair of turnovers and going on a 9-2 run to take a 78-69 lead with seven minutes left.
Young responded to the run by hitting an incredible four-point play in the corner to cut the lead to four. Guard Jamari Sibley tied things up at 82 after a dunk and a pair of free throws. With a minute left in the game, Braden Housley had a pair of crucial turnovers, giving Stephen F. Austin a chance to take the lead. Cajuste took the ball the length of the court with only eight seconds left on the clock and went in for the layup. Sibley went up to contest the shot but was called for goaltending, giving SFA the 84-82 lead. Housley took a half-court shot as time expired, but his miss ended up securing the Lumberjacks’ win.
“Heartbreaker. You want these guys to get a win so badly just to help their psyche, and tonight we were close,” said Thunderbird head coach Rob Jeter.
Key statistics
— Hayman led all scorers with 24 points on 9/12 shooting.
— Southern Utah went an efficient 27/28 from the free-throw line.
— Stephen F. Austin shot 57.1% from the field.
— SUU had a season-high 18 assists and 18 turnovers.
What’s next?
Southern Utah University will be at home to take on Utah Tech University on Thursday, Jan. 18, at 6:30 p.m. in the America First Event Center. The game can also be streamed on ESPN+.
Author: Jack Paul
Photographer: Anden Garfield
Editor: Anden Garfield
sports@suunews.net
