After a one-game road trip, the Southern Utah University men’s basketball team will host Grand Canyon University on Thursday, Jan. 23, at 6:30 p.m. Following this game, SUU will play California Baptist University on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 6:30 p.m.
Both games will be played in the America First Event Center and can be streamed on ESPN+.
Southern Utah
It has been an up-and-down season for Rob Jeter and the Thunderbirds. SUU is 9-9 overall and 1-3 in the Western Athletic Conference. After starting their first half of the season 8-2, Southern Utah is just 1-7 in their last eight games.
As a team, Southern Utah has produced one of the better offenses in the conference. SUU ranks No. 4 in the WAC, averaging 74.4 points a game. To go along with that, the Thunderbirds are shooting 44.9% from the field.
Senior guard Jamir Simpson has excelled in his first season here with SUU. Simpson ranks No. 2 in the conference, averaging 16.1 points on 44.3 percent shooting from the field.
Grand Canyon
The reigning WAC Tournament champions are off to another great start to the season. Grand Canyon is 13-5 overall and 3-1 in conference play. In their last eight games, GCU is 7-1 and has a plus-17.5 scoring margin.
In their last meeting against Southern Utah, standout guard Tyon Grant-Foster found his rhythm. Grant-Foster scored a season-high 23 points on 7/15 shooting from the field.
Jakobe Coles has been a large boost to the frontcourt for the Lopes. Coles, a senior from Denton, Texas is averaging 13.4 points per game and has recorded three double-doubles on the year.
California Baptist
Like Southern Utah, California Baptist has had an up-and-down season. The Lancers are 9-9 on the year and 2-2 in the WAC play. In their last outing, CBU came back after being down six points to beat Abilene Christian University.
A large part of their inconsistent play is the lack of consistency on both sides of the ball. The Lancers rank No. 6 in the WAC in both scoring offense and defense. CBU averages 72.9 points a game but gives up 73 points per match.
Despite the lack of offense, Dominique Daniels Jr. has generated the most offense for CBU. The senior from Compton, California leads the WAC in scoring, averaging 20.89 points a game, but is shooting just 38% from the field and 26% from three.
SUU is 0-8 all-time against Grand Canyon and 3-3 all-time against California Baptist.
Author: Jack Paul
Photographer: SUU Athletics
Copy Editor: Isaac Allen
