MORAGA, Calif. - The Southern Utah men's basketball team wrapped up their first full week of competition Monday night with a 51-70 loss to Saint Mary's College of California.
The Thunderbirds dropped to 1-2 on the season while Saint Mary's improved to 3-0.
John Knight III led the Thunderbirds offensively, scoring 11 points on 5-for-8 shooting. He also had five rebounds and three steals. Tevian Jones had 10 points and Maizen Fausett tied a career-high in rebounds with 14.
As a team, the T-Birds shot 35.0 percent from the floor and pulled down 36 rebounds, just four less than the Gaels who had 40.
Southern Utah held a lead early as a 7-0 scoring run gave them a 9-4 lead after four minutes of play. The Thunderbirds held that lead for about a minute, until the Gaels launched a 10-0 scoring run to make it 14-9 in favor of the home team.
Saint Mary's would go into the halftime break with a 29-16 lead and open the second half with a 7-0 run, putting the T-Birds in a 20-point hole with just under 18 minutes left to play.
The Thunderbirds shot 40.0 percent in the second half and were able to cut the SMC lead to 16 at one point, but the Gaels turned up the heat in the second half as well. They went 7-for-11 from beyond the arc and shot 56.7 percent from the floor to keep the T-Birds at a distance.
Southern Utah closed out the game on a 6-2 run, but would ultimately fall 70-51.
The Thunderbirds will stay in the Bay Area and prepare to take on the University of California on Thursday November 18.
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.
