ST GEORGE, Utah - The Southern Utah men's basketball team traveled to St. George, Utah Friday night to take on in-state rival Dixie State. Despite outscoring the Trailblazers in the second half, the Thunderbirds couldn't overcome a slow start, falling 76-83.
John Knight III led the Thunderbirds offensively, scoring 20 points and shooting 7 for 14 on the floor. He also had seven rebounds and five assists on the night. Dre Marin also scored in double-digits, putting up 19 points. He also pulled down six rebounds and had three steals.
As a team, the Thunderbirds shot just 37.1 percent compared to Dixie State who shot 51.7 percent from the floor. Southern Utah did out-rebound the Trailblazers 41-35 and forced them into 12 turnovers.
The T-Birds got off to a pretty slow start, shooting just 30.3 percent in the opening half. After opening on a 3-0 run, they quickly found themselves in a three-point hole at 5-8. The Trailblazers really started to run away with things with just under five minutes to play in the first half as they put together a 12-0 scoring run and made it 38-25 in less than two minutes. By the halftime break, they had pushed their lead to 47-30 and took a 17-point lead into halftime.
Southern Utah shot 44.4 percent in the second half and even outscored the Trailblazers 46-36, but it wasn't enough to catch up. With 3:47 left to play, they had cut the DSU lead to just three, however the Trailblazers would turn around and score seven unanswered points to keep the Thunderbirds at a distance.
The T-Birds would be able to cut it to five points with :27 to play, but two more free throws from Dixie State would seal the victory.
The Thunderbirds will hit the road once more this weekend to play Saint Mary's on Monday November 15.
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.
