By: Keller Sherman
Featured Image Courtesy of Utah Valley Athletics
OREM, Utah — It was almost like deja vu. Sure, the deepest hole Southern Utah faced was only 15 points this time around, but the game felt eerily similar to the one the Thunderbirds were in a week ago. For the second straight Saturday, SUU was on the road for a game against an in-state rival. Last Saturday’s 79-86 loss to Utah Tech saw the Thunderbirds down by as much as 22. However, SUU could never fully complete the comeback let alone get within one possession. This time around, SUU made it a one-score game. They got within 50-53, but it never got any closer than that. Utah Valley kept SUU at arm’s reach much like the Trailblazers did last week and staved off SUU’s comeback attempt in a 90-83 win.
High Powered Scoring
The Thunderbirds got four players in double figures. Jason Spurgin and Drake Allen led the scoring with 17 points apiece. Tevian Jones had 15 while Cameron Healy continued to show a strong presence off the bench with 12 points. Together, these four had 61 of SUU’s 83 points. Maizen Fausett, the leading scorer for SUU in last Saturday’s game against Utah Tech was held to only 7 points. Harrison Butler, who recorded a double-double and led the scoring in Thursday’s win over Tarleton was limited to only 2 points. While the Thunderbirds continued to show their ability to score easily, they were one-uped on offense by UVU. The Wolverines got a 31-point performance from Le’Tre Darthard.
Up Next
Now two games behind UVU for 1st place in the WAC, the Thunderbirds now shift their focus to another rivalry game. The rematch with the Trailblazers is on deck on Friday night. Tip-off is set for 7:00 PM in Cedar City for what should be another thrilling game between the two rivals. SUU seeks to avenge the 86-79 defeat they suffered at the hands of Utah Tech on February 4th. If the UVU game was any indication, the America First Event Center should be electric yet again.