STEPHENVILLE, TEXAS -- SUU claimed its second conference victory of the season, defeating the second-ranked Tarleton St Texans 73-70 in Stephenville. 

The Thunderbirds improved to 2-6 and conference play and 7-12 overall. 

"This was a big one. We played some unbelievable defense in the first half, holding them to 27 points, and got stops when we needed to down the stretch," said Head Coach Rob Jeter

Game Recap
Thunderbirds led by as many as 12 in the second half, but the Texans wouldn't go away without a fight. Cutting the lead to one point three different times in the final six minutes, but the Thunderbirds never gave up the lead. Two clutch free throws by Zion Young with 10 seconds remaining pushed the lead to 73-70, and the Texans could not hit the late three. 

Statistical Recap
Jamari Sibley was phenomenal for the Thunderbirds. Scoring a career-high 21 points on 8-12 from the field and 3-3 from deep. He also had two rebounds and two steals.

Dominique Ford continued to play like a first-team all-conference caliber player. Scoring a game-high 23 points on 6-10 from the field, which included multiple clutch baskets, and going 10-14 from the charity stripe. He pulled down four rebounds and had a team-high three steals. 

Brock Felder started for the first time in his young college career in place of an injured Parsa Fallah and had eight points, two rebounds, and two big-time blocked shots. 

Braden Housley struggled to score the ball but helped in many other ways, including grabbing three rebounds, dishing a team-high five assists, swatting away one shot, and stealing two other possessions. 

The Thunderbirds shot the ball 51% from the field and 33% from three. SUU actually lost the rebounding battle by 13 but was still able to come away with a massive victory. SUU held the Texans to 42% from the field and just 15% from three. 

"We battled out there. I can see it out on the floor that our guys are learning from many of our close losses. Making smarter plays in the clutch minutes and doing what needs to be done defensively to get league wins," said Jeter. 

Up Next
The Thunderbirds will take a quick trip to Abilene, Texas, to battle the Wildcats of Abilene Christian on Saturday, Jan 27. The game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. tipoff, but some changes may occur due to flooding in ACU's facility. 

HIGHLIGHTS
 

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