The Southern Utah University men’s basketball team was defeated by California Baptist University on Saturday, Jan. 20, by a score of 83-76.
The Thunderbirds fall to 6-12 overall and 1-6 in Western Athletic Conference play, while the Lancers move to 11-7 and 4-3 in the WAC.
First half|
In a close half, Southern Utah got an early burst from Parsa Fallah, who used his nifty footwork down low to score 10 of the team’s first 16 points. SUU led 19-17 with just over 12 minutes left in the half before CBU went on a 14-4 run. The Lancers were hot, hitting five three-pointers, three of which came from junior guard Dominique Daniels Jr. The Thunderbirds shot just 6/10 from the free-throw line in the first half.
Both teams struggled to keep the ball safe, with CBU turning it over seven times and SUU turning it over six, and each side had nine first-half points off turnovers. Fallah finished the first half with a team-leading 12 points. SUU shot just 37% from the floor, which helped the Lancers take a controlling 37-30 lead into the break.
Second half
Both teams had no issue scoring early , and after a Fallah layup, the Thunderbirds found themselves down just three exiting the first media timeout. Cal Baptist was able to hold their lead, as they forced five turnovers in the last nine minutes of game time. They capitalized off the SUU mishaps with seven points. The Lancers converted 17/22 free throws, while the Thunderbirds were a perfect 17/17.
Daniels was unstoppable for the Lancers, scoring 22 second-half points. He converted 7/8 free throws down the stretch to put the game away. That, combined with poor shot selection in the last few minutes by SUU, helped the Lancers win their third straight home game 83-76.
Key statistics
— For CBU, Daniels tallied a career-high 39 points on 6/12 from three along with two assists and a steal.
— For SUU, Dominique Ford poured in a career-high 28 points on 8/15 from the floor, 11/13 from the free-throw line and added five rebounds.
— For CBU, graduate transfer Yvan Ouedraogo totaled a team-leading eight rebounds to go along with seven points, four assists and two blocks.
— SUU shot just under 45% from the floor but converted only 3/13 three-point attempts.
— CBU had 15 fast break points to SUU’s eight.
What’s next?
The Thunderbirds will continue conference play by taking a road trip to Texas. SUU’s first stop will be Stephenville, where they will compete against Tarleton State University on Thursday, Jan. 25, at 6 p.m. Southern Utah will then travel an hour and a half west to take on Abilene Christian University on Saturday, Jan. 27, at 2 p.m. Both games can be streamed through ESPN+.
Author: Brig Pyfer
Photographer: Anden Garfield
Editor: Anden Garfield
sports@suunews.net
