The Southern Utah vs. Utah Tech rivalry hit a new level on Thursday, as the men’s and women’s basketball teams of the two schools battled on the hardwood.
SUU’s women’s basketball team secured a 69-66 comeback win in St. George, while the men pulled off a last-second win in Cedar City, 70-68.
Here are recaps of both games, starting with the women’s basketball comeback win on the road.
Women’s basketball
Traveling south to Utah Tech, the SUU women’s basketball team recorded a 69-66 comeback win over their rival.
The two teams started the game evenly, as it was tied at 5-5 early. A pair of three-pointers would put the Trailblazers ahead, with the home team taking a 16-10 lead to end the first quarter. Both teams went back and forth in quarter two, with the T-birds narrowly outscoring Utah Tech 18-16 to make it 32-28 at halftime.
The Trailblazers pushed their lead to ten in the early moments of the third quarter (38-28), but SUU would begin to chip away. Southern Utah would cut the deficit to three (49-46) before Utah Tech would make it a five-point game at the end of the frame, 51-46.
The final quarter was a game of runs, as Utah Tech led by as many as seven before SUU would claw its way back. Trailing by one with 36 seconds to go, the T-birds would jump in front, 65-64 thanks to a Lexi Bull tip-in layup with 11 seconds left. The Trailblazers used a pair of free throws to go back in front, but four Thunderbird free throws in the final five seconds gave the visitors the 69-66 win.
Lexi takes the LEAD with 11 seconds left
📺: @espn pic.twitter.com/ImJjDYsfnu
— SUU Women’s Basketball (@SUUWBasketball) February 14, 2025
Daylani Ballena led the T-birds on offense, tallying 18 points. Ava Uhrich chipped in 14 points in the win, while Samantha Johnston added 12.
Up next
SUU (5-19, 3-8 WAC) travel up I-15 to face in-state foe Utah Valley on Saturday, Feb. 15.
The T-birds and Wolverines will square off at 2 p.m. MT, while the game can be viewed on ESPN+.
Men’s basketball
Hosting the Trailblazers in Cedar City, the T-birds notched a 70-68 win in the final moments to claim rivalry bragging rights on Saturday.
The first half was back and forth for its entirety, as the two sides exchanged leads ten times in the opening 20 minutes. Southern Utah was able to push its lead to five heading into halftime, 42-37.
Utah Tech slowly chipped away at the slim SUU lead, ultimately taking a 54-53 lead with 11:35 remaining. Southern Utah pushed its advantage back to five with just over eight minutes to play (62-57), but the Trailblazers once again answered, using a 9-2 run to go in front, 66-64.
The two sides continued to battle, and the score was tied at 74 with 25 seconds left. SUU called a timeout to draw up a play, and Tavi Jackson unloaded a game-winning attempt with five seconds on the clock. The shot was off the mark, but JT Langston Jr. snatched the offensive rebound and put it back up and in for the 76-74 lead with 1.8 seconds to go to win the game.
JT LANGSTON WITH THE PUTBACK‼️
Thunderbirds lead by 2 with 1.8 seconds left!!! pic.twitter.com/mo2eL6GANp
— SUU Men's Basketball (@SUUBasketball) February 14, 2025
Jamir Simpson led the T-birds with 17 points in the win, and four other SUU players reached double figures.
The win puts the T-birds at 3-8 in WAC play, moving ahead of the Trailblazers into eighth place.
Coach Jeter postgame
Up next
The Thunderbirds (11-14, 3-8 WAC) will host first-place UVU on Saturday, Feb. 15, with tip-off slated for 6:30 p.m. MT.
The battle between the two in-state rivals can be seen on ESPN+.
