ST. GEORGE, UTAH -- SUU Men's Basketball was in Burns Arena on Thursday night, taking on the Trailblazes of Utah Tech and a final minute come back attempt fell just short as Dominique Ford's game-winning three-point try went halfway down and came back out. The Thunderbirds would ultimately lose 68-70.
The Thunderbirds now sit at 9-14 overall and 4-8 in WAC play. They're in a tie for eighth with Utah Valley.
"We have lost too many of these close games, eventually the ball is going to bounce our way and we will start winning some of them," said Head Coach Rob Jeter
Game Recap
Utah Tech led for 85% of the ball game, at one point stretching it out to as many as 15 in the first half. A late first-half run by SUU would cut the lead to eight, 25-33, heading into the break.
The second half was a lot of runs for both teams. The Thunderbirds came out hot and went on an 8-0 run courtesy of back-to-back triples from Zion Young, but would ultimately never lead in the second half.
With 1:38 remaining in the game, Utah Tech had an 11-point lead 58-69. Four straight missed free throws and some costly turnovers by Utah Tech would ultimately lead to SUU having possession of the ball with four seconds left and just trailing by two points, 68-70. An inbounds pass went to Ford and he got a really clean look from three that just barely rimmed out. Parsa Fallah snatched the offensive rebound and tried to put a shot up but a controversial no-call with .3 seconds left would lead to a Utah Tech victory.
Statistical Recap
The Thunderbirds shot 43% from the field but were an awful 3-21 from three. After making 30 free throws in the first matchup the Thunderbirds only made 15 in the contest.
Zion Young led the way, scoring 17 points off 5-10 from the field and 2-5 from three. Ford had 11 points and six rebounds to go along with a team-high four steals.
Fallah had nine points, four rebounds, and two assists in limited minutes due to foul trouble. Braden Housley's offensive struggles continued yet again, scoring nine points on 3-10 from the field and 0-6 from deep. He did lead the team in rebounds with seven.
Beon Riley paced the Trailblazers after missing the last month due to injury, Riley scored 16 points off the bench and pulled down eight rebounds, both team-highs.
"I am really proud of my guys, once again we showed that we are a resilient group, to be able to come back and have a shot at winning that game is a testament to how our team is built," said, Jeter.
Up Next
The Thunderbirds will be on their way to take on No. 1 seeded Grand Canyon in Phoenix on Saturday, Feb 10 at 6 p.m.
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