ST. GEORGE, UTAH -- The SUU Men's Basketball season came to a close in St. George, Utah, at the Burns Arena with a 72-65 loss against Utah Tech.

Head Coach Rob Jeter said

"This was a tough season for all of us. Obviously we weren't healthy for most of the year, but our guys battled all year long. It is tough to beat a team three times in one year, and they just happened to get us this time. I'm grateful for the time and effort that the seniors gave me this year, and I am ready to get after it for next season."

Top T-Birds

• Dominique Ford led the Thunderbirds in scoring, rattling off 16 points to go along with three rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
• Xavier Sykes led the charge in the game's final few minutes, scoring nine points in just 10 minutes of action.
• Brock Felder recorded two blocks in the game, which gives him the SUU record for blocks in a single season with 66.

Game Recap

The Trailblazers started the game on fire from three, making six of their first seven three-point attempts, including four from Hakim Byrd. Back-to-back triples from Byrd and Noa Gonsalves gave the Trailblazers a 31-21 lead with under seven minutes to play in the first half.

A three-point make from Dominique Ford tried to cut into the lead, but a layup by Samuel Ariyibi gave UT an 11-point lead heading into the break. 

The Trailblazers shot 50% from the floor in the first half and a scorching 73% from deep.

The Thunderbirds did all they could to chip away at the lead, but UT always had an answer for each SUU scoring run. With five minutes left in the game, Xavier Sykes came in, cut through the lane, finished through the trees, and then knocked down a deep triple on the next possession, and suddenly, it was a five-point game. Again, Utah Tech had an answer. After the timeout, Beon Riley hit a baby hook over Jamir Simpson and was fouled, putting the UT lead back to eight.

Simpson then went on a personal 5-0 run of his own, knocking down a triple and finishing a tough fast break layup, but the Thunderbirds just couldn't come up with enough stops down the stretch, and SUU's season came to a close in the first round of the WAC Postseason tournament.

HIGHLIGHTS

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