PHOENIX, Ariz. — Southern Utah University men’s basketball fell to Western Athletic Conference first-seeded Grand Canyon University on the road, 94-65.

With the loss, SUU drops to 9-15 and 4-9 in WAC play.

“We got beat in every facet of the game tonight,” Thunderbird head coach Rob Jeter said. “It is one of those losses that you try and just put behind you and gear up for the next game.”

The Lopes quickly jumped out to a 29-12 lead, from which the Thunderbirds could never recover. Taking a 16-point lead into the half, the Lopes extended their lead to 20 early in the second half.

Dominique Ford led the way for SUU, scoring 23 points on 6-15 shooting and 4-11 from three. Prophet Johnson was the only other Thunderbird to reach double figures in the loss, scoring 12.

Former Parowan High School player and true freshman Brock Felder scored eight points on 4-5 from the field, adding another three blocks to his resume. Chazz Hutchison led the team in rebounds with six.

SUU is 0-5 against Grand Canyon, losing their first matchup in 1992 and four straight since joining the WAC conference.

Up Next:

The Thunderbirds will return to the America First Event Center next week and play host to the Redhawks of Seattle U on Thursday, Feb 15 at 6:30 p.m.

SUU women’s basketball

CEDAR CITY — The Southern Utah University women’s basketball team fell to Grand Canyon 77-61 at home. The Thunderbirds move to 6-16 on the season and 4-9 in Western Athletic Conference play, the Lopes improve to 20-4 and 12-1 in conference play.

“We have to learn from this one and move on to the next,” Thunderbird head coach Tracy Mason said. “I just think we’re at a point where we have to continue to get better.”

Grand Canyon jumped out to an 8-0 lead to start the game. Then, Ashley Banks added a pair of buckets to help fuel a 5-0 Thunderbirds run to make the score 8-5 with 3:51 on the clock. The Lopes scored the next six points to take a 14-5 advantage at the end of the first period.

The Lopes extended their lead to 27-16 with 3:44 left in the half. Shiho Isono poured in five points to spark a 7-2 sprint for the Thunderbirds to get within six, 29-23, late in the quarter. GCU held a 32-23 lead at the break.

The ‘Birds mounted a 12-6 stretch to get within five, 49-44, with 41 seconds remaining in the third. That was as close as SUU would get as Grand Canyon outscored the Thunderbirds 28-17 the rest of the way to claim a 77-61 victory.

Ashley Banks led the way for Southern Utah with a season-high 15 points on 6-7 shooting from the field to go along with a team-best nine rebounds. Shiho Isono racked up 10 points and three assists coming off the bench.

Up Next:

The Thunderbirds travel to Washington to take on Seattle University on Thursday, Feb. 15. The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. MT.

Written by Regan Hunsaker and Parker Haynie, Southern Utah University Athletics Communications.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.

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