The Southern Utah University men’s basketball team traveled to take on fellow Western Athletic Conference rival Utah Valley University on Thursday, Jan. 8 in Orem, Utah. The Thunderbirds fell short 89-72 and added to a losing streak that’s reached six games.
The struggles on the road continue for the Thunderbirds as they fall to 1-10 this season in away games. The Wolverines remain undefeated in eight home games.
SUU falls to 4-12 on the season and 0-3 against conference opponents. UVU now sits at 13-4, holding a 3-1 record in the WAC.
First half
SUU didn’t have a strong offensive presence to start this game, getting outscored 5-13 in the first five minutes of play. The teams then went back and forth for a while with no points being scored until trading layups to keep the deficit at eight.
The Wolverines were quick to extend the lead after three three-pointers from SUU by going on a 5-0 run, pulling ahead by seven. Roc Lee ended Utah Valley’s run with his second three-pointer of the half. After two buckets by the Wolverines, Dylan Jones sank his second three before UVU’s Trevan Leonhardt threw an alley-oop to Isaac Hawkins and brought the lead back to seven.
The Thunderbirds seemingly got the half’s final blow with a triple from Lee, but Jackson Holcombe ended the period with a buzzer-beater. The Wolverines headed to the locker room up 46-39.
Second half
After trading a few two-point scores to start the half, Noah Taitz made the first three of the half for the Wolverines. This extended the lead into double digits, a point from which the Thunderbirds were never able to recover.
The Wolverines’ offense was firing on all cylinders, going 3-4 on triples in the last 8 minutes of play. The Thunderbirds fell further behind as the game went on with the Wolverines’ lead reaching as much as 21 points. UVU went on to win 89-72.
Despite the loss, SUU showed noticeable improvements in shooting. They shot 47.8% from three, their best mark in a game all season long.
Key stats
— UVU grabbed 45 rebounds compared to SUU’s 29.
— The Wolverines scored a total of 56 points in the paint compared to SUU’s 26.
— SUU scored 16 points off 15 turnovers and UVU scored 12 points on 14 turnovers.
Top T-Birds
— Elijah Duval put up 10 points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal.
— Jaiden Feroah led the team in rebounds with six and assists with five. He also posted 14 points, a steal and a block.
— Jones scored 13 points and snagged six rebounds, an assist and a block.
— Lee led the team in points with 15 off the bench. He also had two assists and a rebound. He shot 5-7 from the field and 3-4 from beyond the arc.
What’s next?
The Thunderbirds will head to take on California Baptist University on Saturday, Jan. 10 at 6:00 p.m. in Riverside, California. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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Author: Andrew Streeter
Photographer: SUU Athletics
Editor: Payson Davis