Each playing two conference games over the weekend, the SUU men’s and women’s basketball teams yielded very different results.
Entering the week on a seven-game skid, the men’s basketball team recorded home wins over Tarleton State (106-105) on Thursday and Abilene Christian (74-52) on Saturday.
On the other side, the women’s basketball team fell on the road twice, suffering defeats at Tarleton State (81-55) on Thursday and Abilene Christian (82-54) on Saturday.
Read below for recaps of all four Thunderbird basketball games, beginning with Thursday’s men’s basketball victory.
Thursday: men’s basketball vs. Tarleton State
Hosting the Texans Thursday night, three last-second free throws by Elijah Duval gave the T-birds their first WAC win in a 106-105 overtime result.
SUU began the game strong, running out to a ten-point lead in just over four minutes, 14-4.
Tarleton State cut the deficit down to three, 20-17, with 11 minutes left in the half, but the Thunderbirds scored 22 of the following 33 points to push their lead to 14, 42-28, with 3:35 remaining.
The Texans would finish the half strong, however, cutting the deficit down to eight at the halftime break, 52-44.
The opening minutes of the second half saw TSU cut the SUU lead to just two (61-59) before the T-birds used a 13-4 spurt to push their advantage back to double figures, 74-63, with 11:30 to play.
Tarleton State wouldn’t go quietly, though, fighting back to tie the game at 83 with just over four minutes remaining.
Southern Utah responded with a quick 5-0 run to get back in front, but an 8-2 answer by the Texans put them ahead by one with 24 seconds left, 91-90.
Jaiden Feroah put the T-birds up one, 92-91, with 10 seconds left after making two free throws, and it seemed like the home team might sneak away with a win.
Feroah would force a jump ball as the clock expired, ending the game. Upon further review, however, there was one second remaining on the clock, giving the ball to Tarleton State.
TSU attempted a desperate alley-oop attempt on the inbound play, drawing a foul and earning a pair of free throws.
Cam McDowell missed the first and made the second, sending the game to overtime tied at 92.
Southern Utah would score the first four points of the extra period to take a 96-92 lead, but a pair of buckets by TSU tied the game again.
The remainder of overtime was back-and-forth, but a Texans three-pointer with 15 seconds to go put them in front by two, 105-103.
With six seconds to play, SUU’s Elijah Duval drew a foul and headed to the line to try to tie the game.
Duval made the first free throw, but even after missing the second, managed to get his own rebound and draw another foul.
This time, he made both attempts, and the Tarleton State layup was missed as time expired to give the T-birds a thrilling 106-105 win.
Dylan Jones led Southern Utah in the win, totaling 22 points while shooting 6-11 from downtown.
SUU shot 49% from the field in the win, including 40% from deep.
The win was the first of the season in conference play for the Thunderbirds and was also the 250th in the career of head coach Rob Jeter.
Thursday: women’s basketball at Tarleton State
Hitting the road for the first of two games in the Lone Star State, the SUU women’s basketball team dropped an 81-55 result at Tarleton State.
The T-birds allowed the first basket of the game, and the Texans never looked back while rolling to a 26-point win.
Southern Utah never led in the game and trailed by nine (23-14) after one quarter and 13 at halftime, 40-27.
Tarleton State pushed its advantage to 20 after the third period, 62-42, before putting the finishing touches on the 81-55 win.
SUU shot just 32% from the field in the loss (19-59), including only 25% from three (5-20).
Sierra Chambers led the Thunderbirds with 16 points.
The loss was the second straight for SUU after a three-game winning streak.
Saturday: men’s basketball vs. Abilene Christian
Welcoming the Wildcats to close the weekend, Southern Utah led most of the way in a dominant 74-52 victory.
The opening minutes of the game were close, but the T-birds would momentarily build a nine-point lead, 28-19, with just over six minutes left in the half.
ACU cut the deficit down to five, 28-23, but a 16-4 SUU run to close the half made it a 17-point game, 44-27.
The Wildcats were never able to get the deficit under double figures the rest of the way, while the T-birds rolled to a 74-52 win.
Five players recorded double-figure scoring efforts for SUU, led by a 16-point effort from Jaiden Feroah.
The win was the largest of the season against a Division I opponent for Southern Utah, which also won its second straight WAC game after an 0-4 start to conference play.
After the weekend, the Thunderbirds hold a 6-13 overall record, including 2-4 in the WAC.
Saturday: women’s basketball at Abilene Christian
Finishing the weekend against the first-place Wildcats, SUU couldn’t overcome a strong defensive effort from the home team while falling 82-54.
The opening quarter was close, as ACU led by just one, 18-17, after the period concluded.
Abilene Christian would put together a strong second period, however, giving them a 12-point halftime lead (41-29) after outscoring the T-birds 24-11.
It was more of the same in quarter three, as ACU used a 23-10 period to push its advantage to 25, 64-39, before wrapping up the 82-42 win in quarter four.
Brooklyn Fely scored 18 points in the defeat.
A pair of losses over the weekend puts Southern Utah’s record at 11-7 overall and 3-3 in WAC play.
After starting conference play a perfect 3-0, the T-birds have dropped each of the last three games.
Up next: men’s basketball
The Thunderbirds (6-13, 2-4 WAC) face two in-state rivals this week, looking to build on their two-game winning streak.
First, they will host first-place Utah Valley on Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 6:30 p.m. MT, before making the short trip to St. George to battle Utah Tech on Saturday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m. MT.
Both games can be seen on ESPN+.
Up next: women’s basketball
SUU (11-7, 3-3 WAC) takes on a pair of in-state rivals, looking to end a three-game skid.
They begin with a road game at Utah Valley at 6 p.m. MT on Thursday, Jan. 22, before coming home for a matchup with Utah Tech on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 2 p.m. MT.
Both games can be seen on ESPN+.
Photo courtesy of SUU Athletics.
