Facing a non-NCAA opponent, the Southern Utah University men’s basketball team got their first win of the season against Bethesda University at the American First Event Center on Tuesday, Nov. 11. SUU ran the game from the very beginning, blowing out Bethesda 118-60.
The T-Birds now have a record of 1-2. SUU holds an 8-0 record against Bethesda, and this is the third time that they’ve beaten the Flames by over 50 points.
Bethesda, a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association, is still seeking their first win and now sits at 0-4. This is their second straight loss of more than 50 points.
First half
Southern Utah started out strong on a 9-2 run that saw Bethesda go 0-5 from the field. SUU then went on an even bigger 12-2 run capped off by a Dylan Jones three and two free throws from Zach Bell.
SUU’s lead never got lower than 11 after this point and never dropped below 20 after 10 minutes of play. SUU’s advantage this half was at its highest at halftime when they led 66-37, surpassing their point total from the first game of the season.
While he didn’t record any points, Lorenzo Abellar had two back-to-back highlight passes in his first start of the year. The first was a behind-the-back dish to Kai Burdick for a big dunk, and the second led to another slam by Bell after he jumped over two defenders.
Bethesda attempted 10 threes in the first half but made just one off a shot from Miles Sulka. The junior recorded a team-high 22 points and five rebounds to go along with three steals.
SUU shot 70.6% from the field and 54.6% from three this half in a reversal of their shooting struggles in their first two games.
Second half
SUU stayed aggressive, opening the half with a 12-2 run. Bethesda put up a fight and traded buckets with the T-Birds, but SUU’s lead grew to 40 after the first nine minutes of the half.
The offenses of both teams equalized as SUU went on an 11-7 run over the next six minutes, but the T-Birds stayed hungry and ended the game on an 18-2 run to put the finishing touches on a dominant victory.
The Flames continued to have shooting troubles, going 2-11 from three. SUU didn’t fare much better, going 4-16, but shot 58.3% from inside the three-point line in the second half.
Key stats
— 14 players suited up for SUU, with 13 recording at least one bucket.
— SUU’s bench scored 84 points, more than their point total in their first two games.
— SUU shot 56.8% from the field and 37% from three.
— SUU recorded 65 rebounds to Bethesda’s 26, with 18 being offensive boards.
— Nine different players recorded at least seven points and five rebounds. Five different players scored double-digit points, with freshman Cale Barclay as the only starter to do so.
Top T-Birds
Nearly every player shined and played double-digit minutes.
— Bell had 11 points, six assists and five rebounds in 14 bench minutes.
— Elijah Duval had eight points, eight assists, five rebounds and three steals.
— Tanner Hayhurst had 13 points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal, going 4-7 from three in 15 bench minutes.
— Jones had 14 points, a rebound and a steal, going 4-7 from three in 14 bench minutes.
— Jalen “Roc” Lee scored a team-high 19 points to go along with five rebounds and a block in 16 bench minutes.
Up next
SUU will travel to Omaha, Nebraska to face the University of Nebraska at Omaha on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 6:00 p.m. at the Baxter Arena. The Mavericks appeared in the NCAA Tournament last season.
Author: Andrew Streeter
Photographer: SUU Athletics
Editor: Payson Davis
