In a game featuring a team-record 23 made threes, the Southern Utah University men’s basketball team hosted West Coast Baptist College on Monday, Dec. 1 in the America First Event Center and won by a score of 124-59.
SUU now holds a 4-6 record and achieved their first win streak of the season. Their 65-point win was close to surpassing the school-record 71-point win also against West Coast Baptist.
West Coast Baptist, a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association, are still winless with an 0-6 record. They’ve been defeated by SUU in all four of their matchups.
First half
SUU scored the first six points of the game, but two three-pointers put the Eagles back in it. The T-Birds then went on a 23-7 run over the next seven and a half minutes.
SUU continued raining down shots as they ended the half on a 14-1 run, taking a 61-26 lead at the break. SUU eclipsed their season-high in threes with nine in the first half alone.
The Thunderbirds shot 70% from inside the three-point line in the period. Their presence at the basket was also felt defensively as they notched three blocks.
Second half
SUU didn’t let off the gas despite their massive lead, and Dylan Jones sparked the offense in particular with 24 points and six made threes.
A Jones triple with nine and a half minutes left put SUU at a 100-38 lead. Even after West Coast Baptist sank two free throws, back-to-back threes from Jones put SUU up 66 points.
With two and a half minutes left, SUU held a potentially record-breaking lead of 72 points, but the Eagles scored seven straight points to make the final score 124-59.
Key stats
— SUU made a team-record 23 threes in a team-record 52 attempts for their most accurate performance beyond the arc this season.
— Seven different T-Birds scored double-digit points.
— SUU recorded 32 assists, just three away from another team record.
— The Thunderbirds were getting baskets everywhere, shooting 68.6% inside the three-point line.
Top T-Birds
— Lorenzo Abellar had 10 points, 10 assists, a rebound, a block and zero turnovers in one of his best games at SUU.
— Kai Burdick had a season-high 11 points, also recording eight rebounds, three steals, an assist and a block.
— Jaiden Feroah had 11 points, six rebounds, four steals and a block.
— Jones notched a season-high 26 points to go along with three assists and two rebounds. He shot 6-14 from three.
— Logan Stephens had his best game as a T-Bird with 17 points, four assists, two rebounds and a steal in 12 bench minutes.
Up next
The T-Birds will start a long road trip on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 3 p.m. in Corvallis, Oregon against Oregon State University. The game will also be streamed live on ESPN+.
Author: Payson Davis
Photographer: SUU Athletics
Editor: Jack Paul
