Following a week that featured a blowout win and a close loss, The Southern Utah University men’s basketball team traveled to Spokane, Washington to face the No. 13 ranked Gonzaga University on Monday, Nov. 17. SUU never held the lead and fell 122-50.
The loss dropped Southern Utah to 1-4 on the year, while Gonzaga improved to 5-0. 122 points is the second-highest total the Bulldogs have ever recorded.
First half
Gonzaga came out on fire, building a 17-2 lead early behind suffocating defense and a fast-paced transition game. SUU made just two field goals in the first eight minutes.
The Thunderbirds committed 14 turnovers in the first half and made only 10 shots, putting them in a 59-27 deficit after the first half.
Gonzaga dominated in the midrange and down low, shooting 66.7% from inside the three-point line in this half. SUU attempted less than half as many two-point shots and went 3-15 from three.
Second half
The Bulldogs kept the intensity after halftime, opening the period with nine of the first 12 points to push the lead to 40 after five and a half minutes. Southern Utah couldn’t respond, shooting just 25.8% from the field and going 1-10 from three in the second half.
Gonzaga dominated until the end, finishing with a 122-50 victory. The 72-point margin of defeat was the largest in Southern Utah history, surpassing the Thunderbirds’ 132-64 loss to the University of Oklahoma on Dec. 20, 1988.
Key stats
— Gonzaga’s bench scored as much as the entire Thunderbird team.
— The Bulldogs scored 27 points off turnovers compared to six from SUU.
— Gonzaga recorded 18 steals, tying a franchise-high, and eight blocks to SUU’s six steals and three blocks.
— SUU shot 29.5% from the field, going 18-61, and just 16% from three, going 4-25.
Top performers
— Gonzaga’s Braden Huff scored a game-high 22 points and shot 11-13 with no three-point attempts, also recording six rebounds. Freshman Bulldog Mario Saint-Supéry recorded 16 points, seven assists, six steals and a rebound.
— Isaiah Cottrell recorded eight points, five rebounds and an assist.
— Elijah Duval led SUU with 10 points, also recording two rebounds, two assists and a steal.
— Jaiden Feroah had seven points, two assists, two rebounds, two blocks and a steal.
Up next
The Thunderbirds will look to bounce back as they head south to Pullman, Washington to face Washington State University on Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 9 p.m. in Beasley Coliseum. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Author: Andrea Tapia
Photographer: SUU Athletics
Editor: Payson Davis
