The Southern Utah basketball teams were in action Thursday night, facing the UT Arlington Mavericks.
The men’s team fell 70-68 in Arlington in the final seconds, while the women’s squad was defeated at home, 62-58.
Here are recaps of both games, beginning with the men’s basketball defeat.
Men’s basketball
The first half of the game was closely contested, with neither team able to break away. With 2:29 left in the half, SUU was within three (26-23), but the Mavericks used an 8-0 run to push its advantage to 11. The lead would last until halftime, as the home team took a 36-25 advantage to the break.
SUU cut into the deficit early in the second half, using a 12-4 spurt to cut the UTA lead to three (40-37). The Thunderbirds continued to chip away, before taking their first lead of the half with 10:33 to play, 51-50. The game was back-and-forth to the end, as the score was knotted at 68 with 33 seconds left after a pair of SUU free throws.
On their last possession of the game, the Mavericks winded down the clock before converting a layup to take a 70-68 lead with just six seconds remaining. The T-birds had one final chance to send the game to overtime, but Hercy Miller missed a layup attempt as time expired.
With the defeat, Southern Utah has dropped four straight, falling to 1-6 in conference play.
Jamir Simpson led the T-birds in scoring in the loss, scoring 20 points. JT Langston Jr. added 16 for SUU.
Up next
The Thunderbirds (9-12, 1-6 WAC) look to snap a four-game skid next time out.
SUU will battle Tarleton State on Saturday, Feb. 1. The game is slated to start at 6 p.m. MT and can be seen on ESPN+.
Women’s basketball
The women’s basketball matchup was another close affair, with neither side leading by more than seven points at any point.
SUU took an early lead after the first quarter, holding a 15-11 advantage. The Mavericks responded in the second period, outscoring the T-birds 17-13 to make it a tie game at halftime (28-28).
The Thunderbirds answered with a strong third period, taking a 45-42 lead after edging UTA in the quarter, 17-14. It didn’t take long for UT Arlington to answer, needing just one minute to retake the lead, 46-45. The Mavericks would push their lead to five with just over five minutes to play (54-49), and the T-birds were unable to overcome it. SUU cut the deficit down to one (59-58), but UTA would hold on for the 62-58 victory.
Samantha Johnston led Southern Utah in defeat, scoring a team-high 16 points. Daylani Ballena added 14 in the loss, while Jaeden Brown added a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds.
With the loss, the T-birds dropped to 2-5 in conference play.
Up next
Southern Utah (4-16, 2-5 WAC) continues a three-game homestand with a matchup against Tarleton State on Saturday, Feb. 1.
The T-birds and Texans matchup will tip off at 2 p.m. MT and can be seen on ESPN+.
