Both the Southern Utah men’s and women’s basketball teams took the court on the road Saturday, and both came up short in close defeats.
Here are recaps of each, beginning with the men’s basketball defeat to Omaha.
Men’s basketball at Omaha
Facing Summit League member Omaha on the road, the T-bird men’s basketball team fell to 1-3 with a tough 90-85 defeat.
It would be the Mavericks that would get ahead early, taking a 14-6 lead just under five minutes into the game. Southern Utah would cut it down to three (17-14), but a 10-0 Omaha run made it 27-14. The T-birds answered with ten straight points of their own, cutting the deficit back to three (27-24) with 7:24 left in the half.
After the Mavericks pushed the lead back to nine (35-26), another 10-0 spurt gave SUU its first lead, 36-35, with just over three minutes left in the first half. Omaha would score seven of the final nine points of the half, taking a slim four-point lead to the break, 42-38.
The second half was back-and-forth, as the score was deadlocked at 61 just over ten minutes into the period. A quick five points from the Thunderbirds made it 66-61, but a 7-0 run by Omaha pushed them back in front, 68-66, with 6:48 to play. The next four minutes saw both teams trading buckets, with Southern Utah taking a 79-78 lead with 2:11 left thanks to a pair of free throws.
The T-birds were unable to close it out down the stretch, however, as the Mavericks answered immediately with a 7-0 run to jump in front 85-79 with under a minute remaining. The deficit was too much to overcome with too little time left, as SUU fell 90-85.
Elijah Duval and Zach Bell each scored 20 points to lead the T-birds, while Jaiden Feroah added 16 points and 9 rebounds.
SUU’s defense was unable to contain the Omaha offense, as the home team shot 50 percent from the field, including 53 percent (30-60) from the three-point line (10-19).
The Thunderbirds won the battle in the paint (48 points to 36), but shot just 25 percent from the three (7-28) in the loss.
Up next
Southern Utah (1-3) continues a three-game road trip, heading to the Pacific Northwest for two games.
First, the T-birds will battle No. 19 Gonzaga on Monday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. MT.
The game can be viewed on ESPN+.
Women’s basketball at Idaho
Facing a second consecutive future Big Sky foe, the SUU women’s basketball team fell 76-72 in Moscow on Saturday afternoon.
The Thunderbirds started the game hot, taking an 18-10 lead late in the first quarter before the Vandals scored the final four points of the frame to make it 18-14 after the first quarter.
Idaho’s late first-period momentum continued for nearly all of the second period, as they took an eight-point lead with 1:38 left in the half, 38-30. A quick five points for the T-birds to end the half would cut the deficit down to just three (38-35) heading to the break.
The third quarter remained close, as big quarters from SUU’s Sierra Chambers (11 points) and Kortney Doman (7 points) saw the visitors take a slim 57-54 lead to the fourth quarter.
Southern Utah added a layup to make it a five-point lead to open the fourth quarter, but it was all Vandals the rest of the way. A 15-3 run put the home team up by seven (69-62), and the T-birds were unable to come back. The Thunderbirds would cut the deficit down to three (75-72) with just 44 seconds left, but an offensive rebound on the final Idaho possession sealed SUU’s first loss of the season, 76-72.
Sierra Chambers led the Thunderbirds in scoring in the loss, totaling 19 points and going a perfect 10-for-10 from the free-throw line. Kortney Doman added 15 points and 13 rebounds to secure a double-double, while Ava Uhrich added a double-double of her own with 14 points and a game-high 17 rebounds.
SUU shot just 30 percent from the field in the defeat (21-69), along with losing the rebound (50-43) and points in the paint battles (42-24).
The loss is the first of the season for the T-birds, who drop to 1-3.
Up next
Southern Utah (3-1) returns to Cedar City to face Benedictine Mesa (AZ) on Tuesday, Nov. 18.
The game is set to tip off at 6:30 p.m. MT and can be seen on ESPN+.
