ABILENE, TEXAS -- True freshman point guard Elijah Duval went off for 27 points and willed the Thunderbirds to their first true road win of the season. Overcoming a late seven-point deficit, the Thunderbirds knock off ACU 79-76.

Head Coach Rob Jeter said

Top T-Birds

• Elijah Duval led the T-Birds with 27 points on an unbelievable 11-13 from the field. He also pulled down seven rebounds and dished three assists in 38 minutes on the floor.
• Jaiden Feroah battled foul trouble throughout the game, but still managed to score 16 points without missing a shot. He also corralled seven rebounds.
• Isaiah Cottrell finished with 14 points and was a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe. He grabbed four rebounds and had three helpers.

HIGHLIGHTS

Game Recap

The Thunderbirds were making shots when they could, but at the under-16 timeout, SUU had two made field goals and five turnovers. That trend would continue throughout the entire first half.

With 14:37 left in the first half, SUU had just four points, and ACU had pushed the lead to 11.

SUU responded with a 7-0 run, and then immediately allowed the Wildcats to go on an 8-0 run. A late shot-clock triple from ACU gave them a 13-point lead with 10:43 to play in the first.

The Thunderbirds battled over the next eight minutes and cut it all the way to one possession game, and ultimately went into the break trailing 39-36.

SUU opened the second half on an 8-3 run and trailed by just one point early in the second half.

SUU was able to tie the ball game at the 16:34 mark, but ACU always had an answer. Finally, the Thunderbirds earned their first lead of the game after a big Hayhurst triple to tie it, and then two free throws from Duval to give the T-Birds a two-point edge.

The Wildcats immediately knocked down a triple and took the lead again, but again Duval responded, and the lead would change once more.

The Wildcats and the Thunderbirds exchanged the lead nine times, all in the second half.

With 4:01 remaining, a ridiculous turnaround triple from Bradyn Hubbard gave ACU a six-point lead and all the momentum. But on the ensuing possession, Tanner Hayhurst knocked down a massive triple and was fouled. Hayhurst missed the free-throw, but Feroah was there to clean it up, and the T-Birds used a five-point possession to cut the lead to one.

Two free throws from true freshman Cale Barclay gave SUU a one-point lead with 42 seconds remaining, and the Thunderbirds were able to force a miss on ACU's next possession. Elijah Duval had the ball and a one-point lead, sitting on 27 points. Late in the shot clock, Duval drove the lane and hit a floater over two ACU defenders to push the lead to three with eight seconds left. A miss at the buzzer and a rebound from Feroah led SUU to its first true road win of the season.

Statistical Recap

SUU committed 16 turnovers in the first half, and just six in the second. Which was the key stat of the game, because as a team, the Thunderbirds shot 67% from the floor. 

SUU outrebounded the Wildcats 31 to 17 and scored 44 points in the paint. 

ACU turned 22 turnovers into 23 points.

Southern Utah was 29-43 from the field, 3-6 from three, and 18-21 from the free-throw line. 

The Thunderbirds finished the game with 10 straight made field goals.

Up Next

SUU will have a week off before its next game, which will be playing host to Tarleton State on Saturday, February 7, at 6:30 p.m. in the AFEC. The Thunderbirds will look to go 2-0 against the Texans this year after winning a 106-105 overtime thriller on January 15.

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