CEDAR CITY, UTAH -- The SUU Men's Basketball team hosted the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in the 2025-26 home-opener, and the Vaqueros shot the lights out from deep, defeating the Thunderbirds 95-72.

Head Coach Rob Jeter said

Top T-Birds

• Jaiden Feroah was unbelievable for the Thunderbirds. Pouring in 24 points on 8-12 from the field, pulling down 10 rebounds, and racking up an insane eight blocks on the night.
• Dylan Jones was 3-6 from deep.
• Elijah Duval scored nine points, had two rebounds, and four assists to lead the Thunderbirds.

HIGHLIGHTS

Game Recap

The first half was truly a game of runs for the Thunderbirds and Vaqueros. A 14-2 run from the UTRGV game gave the Vaqueros a 25-14 lead at the under-12 media timeout, aided by three made three-pointers during that stretch. 

The teams exchanged baskets for the next few possessions, but another 9-0 run from the Vaqueros had their lead at 17 with six minutes to play in the first half. The Thunderbirds answered with a run of their own, outscoring UTRGV 12-4 over the final six minutes and entering halftime down 35-40.

The Thunderbirds missed two wide-open layups to start the second half, and the Vaqueros capitalized. SUU didn't score its first points of the second half until the 15:42 mark, a jumper from Jaiden Feroah, but the lead was already up to 17 for UTRGV, and the Thunderbirds were struggling to come back.

SUU was able to cut it to a nine-point deficit with just under 10 minutes remaining, but a second-chance layup from UTRGV, followed by a turnover and another made three-pointer from the Vaqueros, snuffed out any hope the Thunderbirds had of mounting a comeback.

Statistical Recap

The Thunderbirds shot an acceptable 40% from the floor, but allowed UTRGV to shoot 50%. The Vaqueros could not miss from deep, making 16 of their 38 attempts for a percentage of 57.

SUU was out-rebounded 48-34, including 17-12 on offensive rebounds.

Nine different Thunderbirds recorded a point, with Feroah leading the way, scoring a new career-high 24. 

With his eight blocks, Jaiden Feroah put himself in SUU's history books with the second-most blocks in a single game.

Up Next

SUU will have a quick turnaround, with its next contest on Tuesday, November 11, at 6:30 p.m., against Bethesda University of California in the America First Event Center.

TICKETS

Tickets are on sale now at tbirdtickets.com! Go get yours today!

FOLLOW US

Stay up to date during the 2025-26 Southern Utah Men's Basketball season by following @SUUBasketball on Twitter and Instagram and by liking the Southern Utah Basketball page on Facebook.

DONATE

To help support Thunderbird athletics consider making a donation today! To learn more about how you can support click here.