CEDAR CITY — A controversial offensive foul called on Southern Utah’s Braden Housley wiped off a bucket that would have given the Thunderbirds a two-point lead with eight seconds left to play.
The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks capitalized as AJ Cajuste went the length of the floor for a layup. Housley’s last second half-court shot attempt came up just short off the front of the rim and the Thunderbirds lost at home, 82-84.
“Heartbreak, ya know?,” Thunderbird head coach Rob Jeter said. “You play that whole game, and to lose it the way we did, I just really feel for my guys. I really wanted them to get a win tonight.”
The most impressive stat from the game was SUU going 27-28 from the free throw line. They shot 50% from the field and were led by Dominique Ford who had 20 points with five rebounds and one assist.
Zion Young had 14 points on the night, including 3-6 from three and an efficient 4-9 from the field. Six players scored in double figures for the Thunderbirds, Parsa Fallah (13), Jamari Sibley (12), Braden Housley (10),and Prophet Johnson (10).
Sibley also led the team with six rebounds and Housley had seven assists to pace the Thunderbirds. SUU was outscored in the paint 50-28.
“We hope that we can fill the arena next week,” Jeter added. “It is obviously a big rivalry game and we are looking forward to the atmosphere that the crowd can bring and help us get a win.”
Up Next:
The Thunderbirds will be back in Cedar City on Thursday, Jan 18, to take on Washington County rival Utah Tech at 6:30 p.m. in the America First Event Center.
Lady Thunderbirds
In Texas, Ava Uhrich led the Southern Utah University women’s basketball team with a career-high 19 points as the Thunderbirds fell to Stephen F. Austin 68-53 on Saturday afternoon.
The T-Birds move to 4-10 overall and 2-3 in Western Athletic Conference play, while the Ladyjacks improve to 11-6 and 5-1 in WAC play.
“We are playing well in spurts,” Thunderbird head coach Tracy Mason said. “We need consistency for a full 40 minutes. I thought Ava played a tough game for us, she’s taking on a big scoring role as a freshman. It was nice to get Ashley back in the flow, we’re going to need her moving forward.”
All eight players to check in for the Thunderbirds registered a field goal. Southern Utah won the battle in the paint, outscoring the opponent 40-38 down low.
Freshman Ava Uhrich led the way for SUU with a career-high 19 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals. Daylani Ballena scored 13 points to go along with five boards.
Samantha Johnston played a versatile game, tallying six points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks. Ashley Banks had a strong performance in her first game back from injury, adding four points and six rebounds.
Up Next:
The Thunderbirds will remain on the road next week as they travel to St. George to take on in-state rival Utah Tech on Thursday, Jan. 18. The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Mountain Time.
In last week’s matchups, SUU women’s basketball defeated Utah Valley University by a score of 65-46 in Cedar City on Jan. 6, while the Thunderbird men lost to UVU in Orem, 80-62.
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