CEDAR CITY, Utah. The Southern Utah men's basketball squad opens a three-game stretch within the friendly confines of the America First Event Center on Thursday, Nov. 10 with a home-opening tilt against La Verne at 7 p.m. MT. SUU remains in Cedar on Saturday, Nov. 12 as well with another 7 p.m. MT battle against Saint Katherine.
Game Info
Southern Utah vs. La Verne
Date: Thursday, November 10
Tipoff: 7 p.m. MT
Location: Cedar City, Utah
Broadcast: ESPN+
Southern Utah vs. Saint Katherine
Date: Saturday, November 12
Tipoff: 7 p.m. MT
Location: Cedar City, Utah
Broadcast: ESPN+
Coach Todd Simon Says...
La Verne and Saint Katherine will provide us a challenge as we develop our team. We fought hard and had a chance down the stretch versus New Mexico and these games we hope to continue to clean up more mistakes. With our new faces and roles, we expect to improve with each game. With only 5 home games before Christmas we hope the fans come see a special group of guys.
Last Time Out
The Southern Utah men's basketball squad opened the 2022-23 season in exciting fashion, falling just short of victory with a road-opening 89-81 loss against New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Monday, Nov. 7.
Senior guard Tevian Jones nearly put the Thunderbirds on his back down the stretch, leading all scorers with a game-high 28 points during the contest. Jones went 10-for-19 from the field and 6-for-12 from behind the arc including a pair of bank shots in the closing minutes of the game.
Senior forward Maizen Fausett led the way on the boards with 12 total rebounds, the only player in double digits in the game, as he paced an astounding 40-rebound effort for the Thunderbirds. Fausett (4) joined sophomore guard Drake Allen (5) with the top assists for the 'Birds, while also collecting a pair of blocks during the contest.
The key to what proved to be a close battle came at the charity stripe with New Mexico seeing the line much more often than Southern Utah. New Mexico went 24-for-36 from the line, while SUU shot just 8-for-13 at the stripe. That came from a hefty 50 personal fouls called during the game, with Southern Utah drawing 30 and New Mexico just 20.
La Verne Leopards
The Leopards opened up the season with an exhibition 92-51 loss to Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, Oct. 29.
Senior guard Brian Adams paced La Verne in the game with eight points as well as five rebounds. Senior guard Paul Antonis picked up seven points for the Leopards in the contest as well.
A year ago, Adams and Antonis both paced La Verne offensively. Adams put up 11.0 points per game from 58.1 percent shooting, while Antonis put up 16.4 points per game from 78.1 percent shooting from the floor as part of a 6-18 campaign.
Prior to facing the Thunderbirds, La Verne hosts Cal Miramar on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
Saint Katherine Firebirds
Saint Katherine has already been busy this season with a pair of games salted away.
The Firebirds opened the season on Wednesday, Nov. 2 with an 86-66 loss to Vanguard, before taking a 77-73 loss to San Diego Christian College on Saturday, Nov. 5.
Sophomore guard Bryan Baptista leads the way for the Firebirds with 26 points per game thus far this year from 52 points in the first two contests. Batista also has five rebounds per game. Meanwhile, senior forward Jacob Durham has scored 13 points per game with nine rebounds a game as well for the Firebirds.
Prior to heading to Cedar City, Saint Katherine will face Life Pacific in California on Wednesday, Nov. 9.
History
Southern Utah boasts a 1-0 mark against La Verne with the previous contest occurring on Dec. 3, 2015. That season, the Thunderbirds rolled to a 105-85 victory versus the Leopards. Meanwhile, SUU holds a 3-0 record against Saint Katherine in a series that began in 2014. Southern Utah holds wins in 2014 (92-45), 2020 (95-47), and 2021 (100-61). Tevian Jones had a sterling game in 2021 with 15 points and 7 rebounds during 22 minutes of action.
Follow Us
Stay up to date during the 2022-23 Southern Utah Men's Basketball season by following @SUUBasketball on Twitter and Instagram and by liking the Southern Utah Basketball page on Facebook.
Tickets
Head on over to our online ticket store to purchase season, package and single-game tickets!
