The Southern Utah University men’s basketball team won 73-70 in the first matchup of their two-game Texas road trip on Thursday, Jan. 25, over Tarleton State University. With the win, Southern Utah improves to 7-12 overall and 2-6 in the Western Athletic Conference. Tarleton State falls to 12-7 overall and 5-3 in conference play.
First half
SUU freshman center Brock Felder started the first game of his career in the absence of Parsa Fallah. Junior forward Jamari Sibley was on fire for Southern Utah, leading SUU’s scoring early with eight points. Sibley’s effort gave the Thunderbirds a 20-17 lead with eight minutes remaining.
It was all Jakorie Smith for Tarleton State, though. Smith scored 11 of the Texans’ first 13 points.
After that, Southern Utah continued to play well, stretching their lead to nine with two minutes to play. Tarleton State finished the half on a 6-2 run, but Southern Utah led at the break 32-27. This is just the third game where Southern Utah held their opponent to under 30 points in the first half.
Second half
Southern Utah continued their strong performance, jumping out to a 52-40 lead in the first seven minutes of play. Tarleton State showed great resilience, fighting back and going on a 15-4 run over the next seven minutes, led by guards Devon Barnes and Traivar Jackson. Barnes scored all 22 points in the second half, including back-to-back jumpers in the last two minutes to cut the lead to one.
With time on Southern Utah’s side, Tarleton State started fouling SUU. After the teams traded free throws, Southern Utah led 71-70 with 10 seconds left. TSU fouled Zion Young, sending him to the free-throw line with a chance to extend their lead. Young made both free throws, giving SUU a 73-70 lead, and after a missed three-pointer at the buzzer from Smith, SUU left Wisdom Gym with their second conference win of the season.
Key statistics
— Sibley had a season-high 21 points on 8/12 shooting.
— Tarleton State outrebounded SUU 40-27, including 17 offensive rebounds.
— SUU had 19 points off Tarleton State’s 15 turnovers.
— Barnes led all scorers with 22 points.
What’s next?
Southern Utah will continue their road trip by taking on Abilene Christian University on Saturday, Jan. 27, at 2 p.m. The game can be streamed through ESPN+.
Author: Jack Paul
Photographer: Anden Garfield
Editor: Anden Garfield
sports@suunews.net
