Continuing their home stand, the Southern Utah University men’s basketball team hosted a non-conference matchup against Bethesda University of California on Tuesday, Nov. 12. This was a dominant win for the Thunderbirds where they earned a 107-54 victory, improving their record to 3-0 for the first time since 2018, while the Flames fell to 0-5.
First half
Southern Utah came out of gates strong with a 10-0 scoring run. Their lead only grew from there, able to more-or-less do whatever they wanted on the court. Solid defense combined with great shooting efficiency quickly had the Thunderbirds up 31-6 with eight minutes left in the half.
The Flames eventually found some rhythm with mid-range shooting, but never cut deep into the deficit. Southern Utah continued to play well as a unit and led 45-20 at the break.
Second half
Not much changed after halftime. The Thunderbirds were relentless on both ends of the ball. The blowout win allowed a lot of playing time for the bench players to showcase their talents.
The centers for SUU put on an impressive show. Brock Felder, Malik Lamin and Kai Burdick combined for 22 points, 16 rebounds and 5 blocks. Playing hard to the end of regulation, the Thunderbirds won in blowout fashion over the flames 107-54.
Key players
— Xavier Sykes led scoring for SUU with 12 points.
— Hercy Miller scored 11 points.
— Redshirt Freshman guard Duncan Reid earned his first double-digit scoring effort with 10 points.
Key stats
— Southern Utah scored 50 fast break points.
— 12 Thunderbirds scored five or more points.
— No player on the Flames had double-digit points.
What’s next?
Southern Utah will host the University of Nebraska at Omaha on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 6:30 p.m. This game can be streamed on ESPN+.
Author: Jacob McQueary
Photographer: Gannon Lovisa
Editor: Jack Paul
