Southern Utah battled the reigning national champion Kansas Jayhawks on Friday, coming up just short of an upset win.
The game was close throughout, and the T-birds came out of the gate strong to take a 7-2 lead.
A 12-2 run put the Jayhawks ahead by five, but three straight three-pointers gave SUU the 18-14 advantage.
The game continued its back-and-forth nature for the rest of the half, with Southern Utah taking a 35-31 lead before Kansas ended on a 10-4 run to take a 41-39 lead into the break.
The matchup was close throughout half number two, with the Jayhawks unable to put the T-birds away after building a seven-point advantage.
SUU battled back, and a Tevian Jones three-point play with 1:03 to go cut the deficit to 77-76.
Kansas followed with a three-pointer to make the score 80-76, and an SUU turnover with 33 seconds left ended any hope of a major upset. Kansas added a pair of free throws in the final moments to complete the 82-76 win.
Tevian Jones led the way for the T-birds’ offense, notching 25 points. Maizen Fausett added 14 points and nine rebounds while making four three-pointers.
Up next
Southern Utah (3-2) will now travel to Hawai’i to take part in the North Shore Classic.
The T-birds will face Texas State on Friday, November 25 at 6 p.m. MT.
