CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah men's basketball team opens a seven-game road stretch this weekend, starting with Dixie State on Friday, November 12, followed by Saint Mary's College of California on Monday, November 15.
Last Time Out
The Thunderbirds opened their 2021-22 campaign on Tuesday night with a 116-74 win over Bethesda University.
Dre Marin led the Thunderbirds offensively with 20 points. He also went six-for-six from the free throw line and had four rebounds and three assists. Maizen Fausett put up his first double-double of the season with 11 points and 14 rebounds. Three other T-Birds put up double-digits in scoring as Tevian Jones scored 18, John Knight III scored 16, and Aanen Moody scored 15.
"It was great to have live bodies back in the seats and have that excitement when you get on a run. We have a great student section," Simon said. "They turn 6-0 runs into 12-0 runs and it impacts the game like no other sport because they are right on top of the floor. It was a big factor in us continuing to thrive at home."
As a team, the Thunderbirds shot 45.0 percent while holding the Flames to 29.6 percent from the floor. They scored 44 points in the paint and 25 points off of Bethesda turnovers.
Scouting Report: Dixie State Trailblazers (0-1)
Friday's game will be the 2021-22 home opener for the Trailblazers after they opened their season against No. 1 Gonzaga in Spokane. DSU fell to the Bulldogs 97-63 as junior Cameron Gooden put up 15 points and junior newcomer Dancell Leter added 13 points in his Trailblazer debut.
Dixie State wrapped up 2020-21, its first year of Division I competition, with an 8-13 overall record. They also finished with a 4-10 mark in WAC play, missing out on the WAC Basketball Tournament. They were picked to finish 12th in the 2021-22 WAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
Friday night's game will be just the second meeting between the Thunderbirds and the Trailblazers in the NCAA era and it will be the first time they have played in St. George since the 1962-63 season. Last season, Southern Utah took down Dixie State 85-78 in Cedar City on their way to an undefeated home record.
Scouting Report: Saint Mary's Gaels (1-0)
The Gaels opened their 2021-22 season at home with a 87-68 win over Prairie View A&M. Junior Alex Ducas led all scorers with 22 points in a return to form after an ankle injury hampered most of his 2020-21 season.
Saint Mary's was picked to finish third in the 2021-22 WCC Preseason Poll behind Gonzaga and BYU. Senior Logan Johnson was named to the WCC Preseason All-Conference team for the first time in his career.
The Gaels will host Texas Southern on Friday before the Thunderbirds come to town on Monday.
Game Day Information
Friday's game against the Trailblazers is set to tip off at 7:00 p.m. inside Burns Arena in St. George. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and live stats can be found at dixiestateathletics.com.
You can also listen to the game live on KSUB 107.7 FM/590 AM with Chris Holmes and Dean O'Driscoll on the call.
Monday's game against the Gaels is set to tip off at 8:00 p.m. Mountain time (7:00 p.m. Pacific time) inside University Credit Union Pavilion in Moraga, California. The game will be streamed live on the WCC Network and live stats can be found at smcgaels.com.
Tickets
Southern Utah men's basketball season tickets and single game tickets can now be purchased for the 2021-22 season at tbirdtickets.com or at the America First Event Center box office.
Individual and group tickets for the 2021 Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off are now available to purchase through fortmyerstipoff.com/tickets or by calling (239) 481-4849. The Thunderbirds will be competing in the Palms Division of the tournament on November 23 and 24 in Fort Myers, Florida.
Follow Us
Stay up to date during the 2021-22 Southern Utah Men's Basketball season by following @SUUBasketball on Twitter and Instagram and by liking the Southern Utah Basketball page on Facebook.
