By Spencer Rodak, Stadium Sportzz
The Southern Utah basketball teams closed out the regular season on Thursday night. The women’s team secured a 66-51 road win over Seattle U, while the men’s team fell to the Redhawks at home, 62-39.
Here are recaps of both games, beginning with the women’s basketball victory with the WAC Tournament up next.
Women’s basketball
Facing Seattle U on the road in the regular season finale, the SUU women’s basketball team secured a 66-51 win.
The T-birds began the game on a 6-0 run, but the Redhawks quickly battled back to tie the score. A 7-2 spurt from SUU followed to make it a five-point game (13-8) before Seattle used a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to one (13-12) at the end of the first quarter.
Quarter number two was back and forth in the opening minutes, as the two teams were tied at 20 with 6:15 on the clock. The Thunderbirds would take control for the remainder of the half, outscoring Seattle 13-5 to take an eight-point lead (33-25) to the halftime break.
Southern Utah would push its lead to 11 in the opening minute of the second half, but the Redhawks answered to make it a six-point game (38-32). The T-birds had an answer, however, using a 14-2 run to increase their advantage to 18, 52-34 with just over a minute left in the third. Heading to the fourth quarter, SUU held a 53-39 lead.
The Redhawks began the final period on a 10-0 run to cut the SUU lead to just four (53-49) with under seven minutes to play. Southern Utah wouldn’t let the game get any closer, as they used a 13-2 spurt to close out a 66-51 win.
Daylani Ballena led the T-birds on offense in the win, totaling a game-high 19 points. Jaeden Brown contributed a solid game off the bench, scoring 13 points and grabbing 5 rebounds.
With the win, Southern Utah ends the regular season with a 9-20 overall record, including a seventh-place WAC finish (7-9).
Up next
Having secured the seventh seed for the WAC Tournament, the T-birds (9-20, 7-9 WAC) will square off with the No. 2 seed – which will be decided on Saturday – in the quarterfinal round at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on Wednesday, March 12.
The game will begin at 2:30 p.m. MT and can be seen on ESPN+.
Men’s basketball
Hosting the Redhawks on Senior Night, cold shooting from the Southern Utah men’s basketball team led to a 62-39 defeat.
The T-birds struggled out of the gate, setting the tone for the remainder of the game. SUU made just one field goal in the opening 13 minutes of play, trailing 22-11 before they made their second basket.
The Thunderbirds shot just 3-for-25 in the opening half, putting themselves in a 17-point hole at halftime (35-18).
Southern Utah was unable to get the offense going at any point in the second half as the Redhawks pushed their lead to 20 (48-28) with just over 11 minutes to play. The visitors led by as many as 26 before closing out the 62-39 win.
Despite the blowout loss, the defense played well for the T-birds. SUU allowed Seattle U to make just 32 percent of its shots, including a mere 9 percent from three.
With the loss, the Thunderbirds close the regular season with a 12-18 overall record, including 4-12 in conference play. SUU finished eighth in the conference, ahead of only Utah Tech in the standings.
Coach Jeter postgame
Up next
As the No. 8 seed in the WAC Tournament, Southern Utah (12-18, 4-12 WAC) travels to St. George on Tuesday, March 11, to face ninth-seeded Utah Tech in the opening round.
The T-birds vs. Trailblazers rivalry matchup will tip-off at 2:30 p.m. MT and can be seen on ESPN+.