CEDAR CITY, Utah – Southern Utah men's basketball looks for its second win in four days when it hosts Grace (Calif.) at 6:30 p.m. MT on Thursday, Nov. 5, at the America First Event Center.
Grace, the Talons from Pomona, Calif., is in its first season of competition under head coach Les Bean and is a founding member of the California Collegiate Alliance (CCA). The Talons play Utah Tech on Wednesday, Nov. 4, so Thursday's game in Cedar City is their second in two days.
THE MATCHUP
Southern Utah (1-0) vs. Grace (Calif.) Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026 | 6:30 p.m. MT America First Event Center | Cedar City, Utah Watch: ESPN+ | Live stats: suutbirds.com
OPENING STATEMENT
The Thunderbirds opened the 2026-27 season with a 134-69 win over West Coast Baptist on Monday, Nov. 2. The 134 points were the most SUU has scored in a game since at least the 2000-01 season, topping the 126 points against West Coast Baptist (126-40, Nov. 29, 2019) and Bethesda (126-67, Nov. 14, 2022).
SUU led 71-35 at halftime. The 71 first-half points were the most in a half since at least 2000-01, three more than the 68 against Bethesda on Nov. 14, 2022.
The Thunderbirds shot 67.5 percent (56 of 83) from the field. Their 56 field goals were 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.
NINE IN DOUBLE FIGURES
Nine Thunderbirds scored in double figures in the opener, the most in a game since at least 2000-01. The previous high was eight against Benedictine Mesa on Feb. 6, 2021.
Jajuan Nicholls and Mikhail Protsenko led the way with 14 points apiece. Nicholls made 6 of 7 shots and grabbed five rebounds. Protsenko, a 7-foot-1 freshman from Belgorod, Russia, made all seven of his shots in eight minutes.
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.
All 15 Thunderbirds played, and 13 scored. Every newcomer scored in his SUU debut.
PERFECT SHOOTING
Three Thunderbirds did not miss a shot on Monday. Protsenko went 7 of 7, Barclay went 5 of 5 and Sanders went 4 of 4, including 3 of 3 from 3-point range.
Barclay's 13 points were one shy of his career high of 14 against California Baptist on March 7, 2026.
OWNING THE PAINT
SUU outscored West Coast Baptist 98-24 in the paint. The 98 points in the paint were the most since the category first appears in SUU box scores in 2019-20, topping the 82 against Bethesda on Nov. 14, 2022.
The Thunderbirds outrebounded the Eagles 54-19. Their 17 offensive rebounds produced 33 second-chance points, the most since 2019-20. The previous high was 30 against Bethesda on Dec. 18, 2020.
Smith led SUU with eight rebounds in 17 minutes.
BENCH BRIGADE
SUU's reserves scored 85 points, the most since 2019-20. The previous high was 84 against Bethesda on Nov. 11, 2025.
SHARING THE BALL
The Thunderbirds had 30 assists on 56 field goals and committed only six turnovers. Rashaad Davis led the team with six assists in his college debut, and Breland had four assists and two steals.
SUU turned 15 West Coast Baptist turnovers into 25 points.
CHASING 100 AGAIN
A 100-point night on Thursday would give SUU back-to-back 100-point games for the first time since Feb. 6 and 9, 2021. That week, the Thunderbirds beat Benedictine Mesa 110-58 and San Diego Christian 109-50.
GOING FOR 2-0
A win would give Southern Utah a 2-0 start for the fifth time since the 2000-01 season. SUU also started 2-0 in 2006-07, 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2024-25.
The most recent 2-0 start came in 2024-25, when the Thunderbirds beat Western New Mexico 96-68 and FIU 80-75.
SCOUTING GRACE
The 2026-27 season is the first of competition for Grace's men's basketball program, so the Talons arrive without a statistical history. Grace competes as a founding member of the California Collegiate Alliance (CCA) and plays its home games at The Center. Les Bean is the program's first head coach, with Associate Head Coach Deon Coleman and Assistant Coach Jovan Young.
Thursday will be Grace's second game in as many days. The Talons face Utah Tech on Wednesday, Nov. 4, before making the trip to Cedar City.
Grace lists 18 players: eight guards, eight forwards and two guard/forwards. Eight are freshmen. Ten come from outside the United States, from Switzerland, Hong Kong, Germany, Japan, Belarus, Australia, Croatia and the United Arab Emirates.
Six Talons came to Grace from Nobel University: Caleb Palmer, Mykale Mundy, Hannes Bergmann, Ryuki Numata, Maksim Aliakseyeu and Sparsh Kadyan. Nehemiah Johnson transferred from Virginia Union, Tiyere Martin from Sacramento City College, Jaylen Carter from Delta College and Ante Topic from Colby Community College.
The 6-foot-9 Aliakseyeu, from Minsk, Belarus, is Grace's tallest player. SUU's lineup includes six players 6-foot-8 or taller.
SERIES HISTORY
Southern Utah and Grace (Calif.) have not met since at least the 2000-01 season.
HOME COOKING
Under head coach Rob Jeter, SUU is 14-2 in home nonconference games and 9-2 at home in November.
HEAD COACH ROB JETER
Jeter is in his fourth season at Southern Utah and his first in the Big Sky Conference. He is 33-62 at SUU after Monday's win.
Jeter led Milwaukee from 2005 to 2016 and left as the program's winningest Division I coach (185-170). He took the Panthers to two NCAA Tournaments, including a first-round win over sixth-seeded Oklahoma in 2006.
RECORD AND MILESTONE WATCH
Jaiden Feroah has 54 career blocks at SUU. He needs 14 more to pass Cal Hanks (67) for No. 10 on the school's career list.
Feroah's 52 blocks in 2025-26 rank No. 7 on SUU's single-season list. He had four points, five rebounds and two blocks in 13 minutes in the opener.
ROSTER NOTES
Three Thunderbirds are Utah natives: Feroah (Corner Canyon High School, Draper), Barclay (Herriman High School) and Chase Degraffenried (Salem Hills High School).
Jajuan and Jalik Nicholls are both from Scranton, Pa., and both played at NC GBB High School.
Riak averaged 13.1 and 12.6 points in two seasons at Drury and scored 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting in his first game as a Thunderbird after missing 2025-26 with an injury.
Degraffenried had seven points, six rebounds, three assists and a team-high three steals on Monday.
BACK IN THE BIG SKY
Southern Utah returns to the Big Sky this season after four seasons in the WAC. League play opens Thursday, Dec. 3, against Idaho State at the America First Event Center.
UP NEXT
The Thunderbirds close the three-game homestand against Bethesda at 6:30 p.m. MT on Saturday, Nov. 7. SUU then heads east for games at High Point on Thursday, Nov. 12, and at Wake Forest at 2 p.m. MT on Saturday, Nov. 14.
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.
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