Featured Image Courtesy of Southern Utah Athletics
by Keller Sharmqn
CEDAR CITY, Utah — Coming off what some are calling the biggest win of the Todd Simon era at Southern Utah, the Thunderbirds must lock down and focus on the task at hand. The sneaky Texas-Rio Grande Valley team is coming to town on New Year’s Eve. The Vaqueros just fell 81-66 to Utah Tech and cannot be overlooked despite the lackluster showing in their last outing. It is imperative for SUU to take care of business in this one. A loss here would be devastating. The Thunderbirds have more to lose than gain. This is especially true with how the WAC seeds teams for the conference tournament based off of resume.
Last Time Out
SUU’s first WAC conference game could not have gone any better. Not only did they win, which is always the goal, but they made a statement. The Thunderbirds won at a difficult road environment. Going into Las Cruces and beating New Mexico State has only been done by three other WAC teams prior to Wednesday night. Tevian Jones’ 20 points played a significant role in the win. Four other Thunderbirds also hit double figures. Together, they combined for 67 points.
The Vaquero Duo
UTRGV senior Justin Johnson had a 29-point night in a 100-90 win over Houston Christian two weeks ago. He only had five in the loss to Utah Tech on Thursday, but he is averaging 19.8 points per game. Will Johnston has also carried the Vaqueros this season averaging 16.6 points per game. His 24-point effort against the Trailblazers was the biggest bright spot in UTRGV’s defeat. Minimizing opportunities for both of these players will be a major key if the Thunderbirds are to avoid the upset.
The Hive Sports 
Leave a Reply