The Southern Utah basketball teams took the court to battle Utah Valley, as the men hosted the first-place Wolverines on Wednesday before the women traveled to Orem on Thursday.
Both teams secured wins against the in-state rival, as the men won 84-70 before the women walked away with a 64-60 victory.
Read about both wins below, starting with the men’s basketball game on Wednesday.
Wednesday: men’s basketball topples first-place UVU, 84-70
Using a strong second half, the SUU men’s basketball team pulled away late in the second half to beat UVU on Wednesday night.
The first half was close throughout, as the Wolverines scored the first two points at the free throw line before the T-birds knocked down a 3-pointer to get on the board.
Utah Valley held a slim 9-7 lead just over three minutes in, but a 12-4 run gave SUU a six-point lead, 19-13, with 11:24 left in the half.
Southern Utah maintained a six-point lead with 5:36 remaining in the half (30-24), but a 6-0 Wolverines run tied the score at 30 with just over two minutes to go in the frame.
Both teams battled in the final minutes, but the T-birds would take a 35-34 advantage to the break.
Second half
The opening moments of the second half continued a back-and-forth battle, as UVU would regain the lead, 44-42, just over four minutes into the half.
After the game was equalized at 45, a 10-2 spurt by SUU pushed them in front by eight, 55-47, with just over 10 minutes remaining.
Thanks to a strong offensive effort, the Thunderbirds would take a 14-point lead, 75-61, with 3:27 on the clock.
Utah Valley would not go quietly, however, finding a 9-0 run to cut the deficit to five, 75-70, with 2:09 left.
That would be as close as the visitors would get, as Southern Utah ended the game on a 9-0 run of their own to seal an 84-70 win.
The T-birds showed out on offense in the upset win, shooting 51% from the field (28-55), 52% from downtown (12-23), and 84% from the charity stripe (16-19).
Five different T-birds recorded double-figure scoring efforts, led by Jaiden Feroah’s 18-point, 11-rebound double-double. Isaiah Cottrell added a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds.
The victory is the third in a row for SUU, who improved to 7-13 overall and 3-4 in WAC play.
Thursday: women’s basketball snaps three-game skid, beats Wolverines 64-60
In a game that was tight from start to finish, the SUU women’s basketball team knocked off UVU on the road on Thursday night.
The T-birds got off to a slow start offensively, needing nearly four minutes to score their first points. That bucket did, however, spark a 9-0 run, putting SUU in front, 9-4 with 4:30 left in the first quarter.
Southern Utah held a slim 14-13 lead with 1:26 left in the opening frame, but a 5-0 Wolverines spurt made it 18-14 at the end of the first quarter.
Utah Valley built its advantage to nine in the second period (28-19), but the T-birds battled back to make it a four-point game at halftime, 30-26.
The Wolverines continued to stay in front for much of the third quarter, leading 40-34 with 4:18 left. SUU then broke off a 7-0 run to take a 41-40 lead into the final period.
The fourth quarter was a seesaw battle, but thanks to a pair of Kortney Doman free throws and a second-chance bucket, the T-birds led 61-56 with 1:16 to play.
Three Sierra Chambers free throws in the final seconds ultimately sealed the 64-60 win.
Chambers led SUU with 16 points in the win, while the team made 19 of 22 free throws to end a three-game skid and take down UVU for the second time this season.
With the victory, the Thunderbirds improve to 12-7 overall and 4-3 in WAC play.
Up next: men’s basketball
The Thunderbirds (7-13, 3-4 WAC) make the short trip to St. George to face the Trailblazers (10-11, 3-4 WAC) on Saturday, Jan. 24.
Utah Tech notched a win in the first meeting, winning 80-66 on Dec. 29 at Burns Arena.
The game will begin at 7 p.m. MT and can be seen on ESPN+.
Up next: women’s basketball
SUU (12-7, 4-3 WAC) hosts rival Utah Tech (6-11, 1-6 WAC) at the America First Event Center on Saturday, Jan. 24.
This is the second of three regular-season meetings between the two, as the Thunderbirds pulled away in the second half for a 78-60 win on Dec. 29.
Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. MT and can be seen on ESPN+.
Photo courtesy of SUU Athletics.
