CEDAR CITY, UTAH -- The SUU Men's Basketball team scored 88 points on Saturday night, but allowed the Wolverines to score 92 in what was a tough showing from the T-Birds' defense.

Head Coach Rob Jeter said

Top T-Birds

• Elijah Duval led the team with 20 points on an efficient 8-12 from the field. He corralled four rebounds and dished four assists in the loss.
• 7'0 big man Kai Burdick once again set a career-high, this time going for 16 points on a perfect 8-8 from the field.
• True freshman Cale Barclay scored 12 points off the bench; he also chipped in with four rebounds and three assists in a quality 20 minutes of action.

HIGHLIGHTS

Game Recap

The Wolverines had their way offensively to start the game. Making five of their first six shot attempts and jumping out to a 19-12 lead over the Thunderbirds.

Southern Utah had an answer, though, with Elijah Duval dropping in a tough and-one bucket, followed by a triple from Dylan Jones, and suddenly it was just a three-point game.

Utah Valley's strong offensive night continued throughout the rest of the half, and after a four-point play from the Wolverines, the lead was 18 with 1:23 to play. 

Isaiah Cottrell helped the T-Birds close the half strong by knocking down a pair of triples in the final minute of play, and SUU went into the break trailing 39-53.

SUU struggled to take care of the basketball to start the second half, and after five minutes of play, the T-Birds had five turnovers and just two made field goals. UVU's lead was 19 points with 13:02 to play.

The Thunderbirds slowly chipped away at the Wolverines' lead, eventually getting it to single-digits, but made free throws from UVU down the stretch, ultimately leading to an SUU loss inside the AFEC.

Statistical Recap

The biggest stat of the game is the one that Coach Jeter has been pointing to all season long. SUU had 14 turnovers that led to 17 points for the Wolverines.

The Thunderbirds uncharacteristically struggled from the free-throw line as well, only making 16 of their 17 attempts.

And once again, the T-Birds were phenomenal shooting the basketball when they could. SUU finished shooting 63% from the field and 47% from deep.

SUU also had 21 assists on the night, which is the most in a conference game this season. Every player who checked into the game had at least one assist.

Up Next

The Thunderbirds will close out the regular season and celebrate senior night on Saturday, March 7, at 6:30 p.m. inside the America First Event Center against California Baptist. CBU is the only team in the league that the T-Birds have not beaten at least once this year.

TICKETS

Tickets to the 2026 Air Force Reserve WAC Basketball Tournament are available. They can be purchased online at orleans.boydgaming.com.

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