The Southern Utah University men’s basketball team opened the week against California Baptist University on Thursday, Feb. 12. Due to the offensive combo of Dominique Daniels Jr. and Martel Williams, CBU ended up winning the match 83-66.
SUU now holds an 8-17 record and have lost four of their last five. They sit at No. 5 in the Western Athletic Conference with a 4-8 standing.
CBU moved into first place in the WAC with a 9-3 conference record. They’ve won a school record nine in a row and have a 19-6 overall standing.
First half
The game started off with an electric take-off. After the first three minutes of the game, SUU was up 10-9.
Isaiah Cottrell led the T-Birds in scoring throughout the first half with a total of 14 points while Kai Burdick kept the Thunderbirds afloat in rebounding. The center nearly had a double-double this game.
Halfway through the first half, California Baptist took the 23-20 lead before going on a surge and scoring another 20 points to finish the half. Although CBU finished with some momentum, the T-Birds held their own and trailed by seven.
The T-Birds lost in the rebounding game during the first half 19-14, but were doing well at limiting turnovers.
Second half
In the second half, things got hot for the Lancers. They extended their lead to 15 within the first four minutes.
SUU managed to keep things within 10 points halfway through. Thanks to the skills of guard Logan Stephens, they managed to get to the free-throw line and put foul trouble on CBU.
The Lancers racked up 14 personal fouls in the second half, allowing SUU to stay in the game. However, the T-Birds shot 8-15 from the line and missed some crucial threes which would’ve closed the gap.
California Baptist went on a 14-3 run within the last 5 minutes, giving them the 83-66 win.
Top T-Birds
— Cottrell played all 40 minutes and had one of his best games as a Thunderbird. He recorded 24 points while knocking down four of five three-pointer attempts.
— Elijah Duval had an all-around game with 14 points, six rebounds, four assists and a block.
— Burdick came close to a double-double. He had 10 rebounds, seven points and four blocks.
What’s next?
The Thunderbirds will play next on Saturday, Feb. 14, against the University of Texas at Arlington. The match will be streamed on ESPN+ at 1 p.m.
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Author: Mitch Wilson
Photographer: SUU Athletics
Editor: Payson Davis