ST. GEORGE, UTAH -- The Thunderbirds went into Burns Arena and emerged victorious for the first time in program history. Beating the Trailblazers 82-75 and completing the season sweep.
Head Coach Rob Jeter said
"First of all I want to take a second to acknowledge our women's program as well. Going 4-0 against our rivals is pretty awesome, so congratulations to them as well.
I am proud of our guys, we fixed some of the things we knew were causing us issues, and stayed disciplined for the full 40 minutes. We had an eight point lead and they cut it to two, but we didn't waiver and ultimately came out with a much-needed win."
Top T-Birds
- Dominique Ford scored a season-high 29 points on 9-16 from the floor and 3-6 from three. He also made six clutch free throws in a row to close out the game.
- Jamir Simpson did what he has done all season, scoring 23 points on 9-16 from the field to go along with four rebounds and a steal.
- Lorenzo Abellar had a great game as a point guard, scoring six points, dishing seven assists, grabbing four rebounds, and had two steals as well.
Game Recap
The Trailblazers started the game hot, jumping out to an early 16-8 behind 11 points from Noa Gonsalves, including three made three-pointers.
SUU hung around but couldn't quite grab ahold of the lead until the 1:30 mark in the first half on a hook shot from Simpson, but the Trailblazers answered right away. The teams exchanged the lead three times in the final minute of the first half, but Utah Tech ultimately got the final bucket and took a 35-34 lead into the break.
SUU went on a quick 5-0 run to start the second half, a layup from Jeffrey (JT) Langston Jr and an and-one by Simpson gave the T-Birds the lead.
Madiba Owona put the Trailblazers back in front on a three ball, but again SUU answered immediately on a layup from Langston Jr. that sparked an 11-0 run for SUU and suddenly the T-Birds had a 50-41 lead.
Utah Tech wouldn't go away quietly, and a three-pointer from Justin Bieker tied the game at 58 with 7:30 remaining. The two teams exchanged baskets for a few minutes, but then Jamir Simpson and Dominique Ford hit back-to-back triples that pushed the lead to eight with less than three minutes to play.
Ford knocked down six straight free throws to close the game, and give the Thunderbirds a seven-point win in St. George.
HIGHLIGHTS
Up Next
SUU will continue rivalry week on the road as they head to Orem, Utah, to take on No. 1 ranked Utah Valley on Saturday, March 1, at 2:00 p.m.
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