The Southern Utah University men’s basketball team lost in a conference matchup against Utah Tech University on Thursday, Feb. 8. SUU had a chance to win the game off a three-point shot, but it didn’t happen. This 70-68 loss takes the Thunderbirds to 9-14 overall and 4-8 in Western Athletic Conference play, while the Trailblazers rise to 9-14 overall and 5-7 in the WAC.
First half
Play began with SUU forward Jamari Sibley winning the tip and driving to the paint for the first points of the game. Trailblazer guard Noa Gonsalves quickly responded with a contested two-point shot to get in the scoring column. Offense for both teams clicked early on. Three minutes into the game, UTU was up 7-4.
After the quick-tempoed start, the Thunderbirds started having troubles on the offensive side of the ball, picking up several careless turnovers. Utah Tech was grabbing a lot of offensive rebounds and scoring off second chance points, something that SUU needed to limit in order to win.
UTU went on an 11-2 run to take a 29-12 lead with seven minutes left to play. They capitalized on their free throw attempts, going 3/3 and consistently getting to the basket off turnovers.
With five minutes to go, SUU began turning the tide of the game. They went on a 7-0 scoring run to cut the Trailblazers’ lead in half. They guarded the paint well in this stretch to prevent Utah Tech from scoring.
Trailblazer guard Beon Riley made the difference. He closed the half with 14 points and five rebounds. Forward Jaylen Searles also made his presence known with seven points and two rebounds.
Guard Prophet Johnson led scoring for the Thunderbirds in the first with six points on 3/3 shooting. Fellow guard Dominique Ford was not far behind with five points and two steals.
The three was hard to hit for both teams: SUU shot 1/11 for the half, and UTU shot 2/10. This struggle from deep resulted in a low scoring game with the Trailblazers up 33-23.
Second half
Coming out of the break, SUU was on fire. They opened with a 10-0 scoring run to tie the game at 33. Leading the run was guard Zion Young, who hit two quick threes. This momentum continued, allowing SUU to take a 35-33 lead four minutes into play. This was their first lead since the 16-minute mark in the first half.
Gonsalves gave UTU their first points five minutes into the half. The Trailblazers started scoring consistently and created a lot of lead changes. With 10 minutes left, UTU gained a small 48-42 lead. Southern Utah kept it a close game, but due to foul trouble, they could not close the gap.
Getting into the final minutes, the Trailblazers held onto a 68-58 lead. However, the Thunderbirds did not give up. Shots were going in on the floor and from the free-throw line. Due to a lot of missed free throws by UTU, the Thunderbirds cut into the deficit and made it a two-point game with eight seconds left.
In the last four seconds, SUU forced another turnover off an inbound pass. With a chance to tie or win the game, Southern Utah passed the ball in and got Ford a great look from three. The ball went halfway in the net but spit out at the last second. The missed game-winner gave Utah Tech the victory.
Explosive players
— Young scored 17 points and four rebounds.
— Ford had 11 points, six rebounds and four steals.
— Riley scored 16 points and eight rebounds.
— Gonsalves had 15 points, seven rebounds and two steals.
— Searles had 13 points and three steals.
Key stats
— UTU held SUU to 3/21 shooting from three.
— UTU’s bench outscored SUU’s bench 27-12.
— UTU scored five more free throws, which was the difference-maker for the game.
Next for SUU
The next matchup will be an away game for the Thunderbirds. They will face off against the Grand Canyon University Lopes on Saturday, Feb. 10, at 6 p.m. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.
Author: Jacob McQueary
Photographer: Anden Garfield
Editor: Anden Garfield
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