Facing Cal State Bakersfield on the road Monday night, SUU men’s basketball tipped off the season with a narrow loss.
In a tight game, the T-birds took a 72-71 lead with 27 seconds left to play on a three-pointer from Dominique Ford.
DOM GIVES US THE LEAD LATE!!! 26.9 seconds remain pic.twitter.com/l6jMPRrmcg
— SUU Men's Basketball (@SUUBasketball) November 7, 2023
Needing a defensive stop to secure a win in the first game of Rob Jeter’s coaching tenure, SUU was unable to contain the Roadrunners on the final possession. The T-birds were called for a foul, and CSU Bakersfield knocked down a pair of free throws to with .8 seconds left to secure a 73-72 win.
Redshirt freshman Braden Housley led the T-birds in scoring in his college debut, tallying 22 points. Parsa Fallah added 19 while Dominique Ford chipped in 14 points.
Southern Utah struggled on the night from the field, shooting at a mere 34 percent clip overall and from the three-point line. The T-birds also shot just 65 percent (15/23) from the free-throw line.
The loss sees SUU drop to 0-1 on the season.
Up next
The T-birds (0-1) will now open the home portion of the schedule next, facing NAIA program Life Pacific on Thursday, Nov. 9.
The game will tip off at 6:30 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+.
