The Southern Utah University men’s basketball team hit the road on Thursday, Jan. 29, traveling to Texas to take on the University of Texas at Arlington. The Thunderbirds didn’t have a huge presence in this game, never holding a lead and ultimately losing 80-61.
Southern Utah has now lost two games after a three-game win streak. They now fall to 7-15 overall and are 3-6 against Western Athletic Conference opponents.
UTA proved why they’re the best team in the WAC with a dominant performance. They improved to 14-6 overall and 6-2 in conference play.
First half
The Mavericks had the Thunderbirds on skates, jumping out to an early lead and holding SUU to just four points in the first five minutes of play. After the quick offensive jolt, UTA only added one additional point which allowed the T-Birds to stay in the game.
Both teams had issues driving to the rim, with several stretches of no scoring. The largest lead for the Mavericks in the first 10 minutes was six points. The T-Birds did a good job answering, consistently putting up tough buckets.
In the last five minutes, the Mavericks turned up the heat after a relatively low-scoring quarter. They went on an 18-2 scoring run, including a deep buzzer-beater three to close out the half. The Thunderbirds headed to the locker room down 45-23.
Second half
With the half ending on a down note for the T-Birds, they needed to have a strong second-half performance to recover. Elijah Duval and Tanner Hayhurst put up valiant efforts, combining for 28 points throughout the game. However, the lead for the Mavericks grew to as much as 25.
The Thunderbirds couldn’t string together enough offensive rhythm to go on a significant run and stop UT Arlington from scoring. The game came to an end with the Thunderbirds losing 80-61.
Key stats
— SUU has lost 13 of their 14 road games this season. Their one win came against Stetson University.
— SUU shot just 25% from three and 36% from inside the arc.
— UTA almost doubled SUU’s rebound numbers, snagging 53 compared to the T-Birds’ 28.
— The Mavericks had 10 total blocks and seven steals.
— Jaiden Feroah’s three-game double-double streak came to an end, as well as his seven-game double-digit scoring streak. UT Arlington held the senior forward to just seven points.
Top T-Birds
— Kai Burdick took advantage of his first start of the year. He had a team-leading seven rebounds to go along with five points, an assist and a block.
— Duval tied Hayhurst for the SUU scoring lead with 14 points. Duval also had two rebounds, two assists and a steal in just 19 minutes.
— Hayhurst also had four rebounds and an assist. He went 6-6 from the charity stripe.
— Roc Lee was the only other T-Bird to score in the double digits with 11. Lee was the only Thunderbird with more than one made three-pointer, going 3-6.
What’s next
The Thunderbirds will stay in Texas to face Abilene Christian University on Saturday, Jan. 31, at 2:00 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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Author: Andrew Streeter
Photographer: SUU Athletics
Editor: Payson Davis