In their final non-conference game of the regular season, the Southern Utah University men’s basketball team headed to Flagstaff, Arizona to face Northern Arizona University on Thursday, Dec. 18.
Southern Utah battled hard but ultimately fell short 65-57. With the loss, SUU drops to 4-9 on the year and 0-8 in away games. NAU improves to 5-6 on the season and 5-1 at home.
First half
Southern Utah got the scoring started with a three from Tanner Hayhurst and a layup from Jaiden Feroah. After another three, SUU took a quick 8-2 lead. Halfway through the period, Feroah hit a three to give SUU a three-point lead.
Northern Arizona found its groove after a shaky start through Karl Poom. The sophomore from Estonia scored six straight points and helped NAU grab a five-point lead.
Later, with the game tied at 23, SUU’s Zach Bell made a layup plus the foul, followed by two free-throws from Lorenzo Abellar. This mini run gave Southern Utah a five-point lead.
After some back-and-forth play, Northern Arizona’s Ryan Abelman hit a three-pointer just before the buzzer but SUU led at half 32-30.
Second half
Like the first half, the second half started with a Hayhurst three-pointer and then both teams trading buckets. Every time one team would score, the other team would respond in the same manner.
At the 14 minute mark, Kavon Bradford hit a three-pointer for the Lumberjacks, giving his team the lead for the first time since the four minute mark in the first half.
After a layup from SUU, NAU would go on a 16-4 run over the next six minutes to grab an 11 point lead, their largest of the game. With Southern Utah running out of time, they needed to respond fast. The T-Birds answered with a 7-0 run of themselves, cutting the lead to four.
Despite the quick turnaround, NAU held onto their lead. A pair of jumpers and clutch free-throws from the Lumberjacks helped Northern Arizona hang on and win 65-57.
Top T-Birds
— Abellar tied his season-high in scoring with 10 points and grabbed three assists and two rebounds.
— Bell led all SUU players with 12 points while also recording three rebounds, three assists and a steal.
— Feroah was dominant down low, grabbing 11 rebounds and recording two blocked shots in addition to eight points and a steal
Key statistics
— Northern Arizona finished 6/12 from the three-point line, their highest percentage in a single game this year.
— Abelman led all scorers with 24 points, going 8/11 from the field and 4/6 from three.
— SUU out-rebounded NAU 36-35.
What’s next?
Southern Utah will begin conference play on Monday, Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. when they travel to play Utah Tech University.
Author: Jack Paul
Photographer: SUU Athletics
Editor: Payson Davis
