CEDAR CITY, Utah – Nine Thunderbirds scored in double figures, and Southern Utah shot 67.5 percent from the field in a 134-69 win against West Coast Baptist on Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, at the America First Event Center to open the 2026-27 season.
The 134 points were the most SUU has scored in a game since at least the 2000-01 season, topping the 126 points scored against West Coast Baptist on Nov. 29, 2019, and Bethesda on Nov. 14, 2022. The Thunderbirds led for 39:41, never trailed and took a 71-35 lead into halftime.
Jajuan Nicholls and Mikhail Protsenko shared team-high honors with 14 points apiece. Protsenko made all seven of his shots in eight minutes, and Nicholls went 6 of 7 with five rebounds. Cale Barclay and DJ Smith added 13 points each, and Anthony Breland had 12. Dylan Sanders and DeZhon Hall scored 11 apiece, and Jordan Brown and Juok Riak finished with 10 each.
Record Watch
The Thunderbirds set several marks that are the best in at least 25 seasons:
- 134 points: The most in a game since at least 2000-01, topping the 126 points against West Coast Baptist (126-40, Nov. 29, 2019) and Bethesda (126-67, Nov. 14, 2022). It is also the highest-scoring season opener in that span, topping a 116-74 win against Bethesda on Nov. 9, 2021.
- 71 first-half points: The most in a half since at least 2000-01, three more than the 68 against Bethesda on Nov. 14, 2022.
- Nine double-figure scorers: The most since at least 2000-01, one more than the eight against Benedictine Mesa on Feb. 6, 2021.
- 56 field goals: The most since at least 2000-01, four more than the 52 against West Coast Baptist on Nov. 29, 2019, and Bethesda on Nov. 14, 2022.
- 98 points in the paint: The most since the category began appearing in SUU box scores in 2019-20, topping 82 against Bethesda on Nov. 14, 2022.
- 85 bench points: The most since 2019-20, one more than the 84 against Bethesda on Nov. 11, 2025.
- 33 second-chance points: The most since 2019-20, topping 30 against Bethesda on Dec. 18, 2020.
- 65-point margin: Tied for the third-largest margin of victory since 2000-01. The larger margins were 86 against West Coast Baptist (126-40, Nov. 29, 2019) and 71 against West Coast Baptist (120-49, Dec. 6, 2022), and the tie is with a 124-59 win against West Coast Baptist on Dec. 1, 2025.
- 67.5 percent shooting (56 of 83): The third-best field goal percentage in a game since 2000-01, behind 78.0 percent (32 of 41) against Montana Tech on Dec. 19, 2002, and 70.3 percent (52 of 74) against West Coast Baptist on Nov. 29, 2019.
- 30 assists: The fourth-most in a game since 2000-01, behind 33 against University of the Southwest (Nov. 19, 2009), 32 against West Coast Baptist (Dec. 1, 2025) and 31 against West Coast Baptist (Nov. 29, 2019).
Game Flow
Sanders sets the tone. Nicholls scored inside on the opening possession. Sanders followed with a 3-pointer, a layup and another 3 for eight points in the first 1:54 and a 10-3 lead.
The bench takes over. Barclay and Nicholls keyed a 10-0 run after the Eagles cut it to 12-6. SUU sent five reserves in together at the 15:36 mark. Riak scored on the unit's first possession, and Breland turned a steal into a fast-break layup to make it 22-6.
Protsenko's 10-point flurry. The 7-foot-1 freshman scored 10 points in a span of 5:18, starting with a putback dunk at 14:19 and adding another dunk and three layups. Riak scored four baskets of his own between 15:25 and 12:28, two of them dunks.
And-one, and-one. Brown converted a three-point play at 8:46, and Hall followed with one at 8:08 to finish an 8-0 run and make it 48-21.
The 17-0 run. Chase Degraffenried and Sanders hit 3-pointers in the final two minutes of the half. Barclay's three-point play at 0:33 made it 71-35 and started SUU's biggest run of the night. The Thunderbirds scored on each of their first seven possessions of the second half, with Nicholls, Barclay and Protsenko combining for all 14 points, to stretch the lead to 85-35 at 16:51.
Brown's 24 seconds. Brown hit two free throws at 14:55 and a 3-pointer at 14:31. Hall and Breland followed with a layup and a fast-break dunk to finish a 9-0 run.
Triple digits. Rashaad Davis' layup at 12:32 made it 101-45, putting SUU into triple figures with more than 12 minutes left.
Smith's second half. Smith scored 11 of his 13 points after halftime with four layups or dunks and a 3-pointer, and finished with a team-high eight rebounds.
Closing it out. Jalik Nicholls' fast-break dunk at 2:52 pushed SUU past 126 points, the previous high since at least 2000-01, set against West Coast Baptist in 2019 and Bethesda in 2022. His 3-pointer at 1:14 set the final SUU total of 134 and the game's largest lead, 67 points.
Thunderbird Notes
- Inside and on the glass: SUU outscored the Eagles 98-24 in the paint and outrebounded them 54-19, with 17 offensive rebounds producing 33 second-chance points.
- Sharing the ball: The Thunderbirds had 30 assists on 56 field goals and committed six turnovers. Davis led with six assists, and Breland added four assists and two steals.
- Perfect from the field: Protsenko (7 of 7), Barclay (5 of 5) and Sanders (4 of 4, including 3 of 3 from 3-point range) did not miss a shot.
- Barclay: His 13 points were one shy of his career high of 14 against California Baptist on March 7, 2026, and his five field goals matched his career best, last reached against Omaha on Nov. 15, 2025.
- Degraffenried: He had seven points, six rebounds, three assists and a team-high three steals.
- Defense: West Coast Baptist shot 35.4 percent from the field and 25.8 percent from 3-point range. SUU turned 15 Eagles turnovers into 25 points.
- Debuts: Freshmen Davis, Hall, Protsenko and Smith all scored in their college debuts. Transfers Sanders, Jajuan Nicholls, Degraffenried, Jalik Nicholls, Brown, Riak and Breland each scored their first points as a Thunderbird.
- Series: SUU is 5-0 against West Coast Baptist and has scored at least 120 points in four straight meetings.
Postgame Interview
Next Up
Southern Utah hosts Grace (Calif.) on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 6:30 p.m. MT at the America First Event Center.
TICKETS
Season tickets and single-game tickets will be on sale soon and can be purchased here.
FOLLOW US
Stay up to date during the 2026-27 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 Thunderbirds athletics consider making a donation today! To learn more about how you can support click here.
