BAKERSFIELD, Calif -- Thunderbirds season starts with a 73-72 loss to CSU-Bakersfield with two free throws by Kaleb Higgins with .8 seconds left. 

Dominique Ford gave the Thunderbirds a 72-71 lead on a corner three-ball with :27 seconds left, but on the ensuing possession Higgins was fouled on a last-second shot attempt and would make both free throws and ultimately give the Roadrunners the win. 

"We fought hard tonight. We will continue to learn and get better as a team." Said Head Coach Rob Jeter

Higgins led all scorers with 27 on the game and was the only CSUB player in double-digits. 

Braden Housley led the way for SUU, pouring in an efficient 22 points on 7-16 from the field. Parsa Fallah tacked on 19 to go along with 5 rebounds and Ford had 14 points on 4-7 from deep. 

The Thunderbirds went to the charity stripe 23 times but could only pay off 65% of their attempts. Compared to CSUB who was 12-13 from the line. SUU won the rebounding battle 44-42 including 25 offensive boards. 

As a team, the Thunderbirds shot just 34% from both the field and the three-point line. 

Next Up
The Thunderbirds will be at home next, when they take on Life Pacific in the home opener at the America First Event Center on Thursday, Nov 9 at 6:30 p.m. MT. 

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