Southern Utah Tops New Mexico State In WAC Opener
Dec 28, 2022, 10:16 PM
(Courtesy of Southern Utah Athletics)
(Courtesy of Southern Utah Athletics)
CEDAR CITY, Utah – The Southern Utah Thunderbirds went on the road and picked up a big 79-75 win over New Mexico State in their WAC opener.
After Southern Utah outscored New Mexico State 37-32 in the first half, the Thunderbirds held off the Aggies in the second half by allowing 43 points and scoring 42.
Eight Southern Utah players appeared in the game and five reached double figures, led by Tevian Jones with 20 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the three-point line. Drake Allen dropped 14 points and four assists. Jason Spurgin had 12 points and nine rebounds before fouling out of the contest. Cameron Healey recorded 11 points and three rebounds. Maizen Fausett scored 10 points and pulled down five boards.
⚡️⚡️⚡️ https://t.co/OoVsDdoIAz
— SUU Men's Basketball (@SUUBasketball) December 29, 2022
Harrison Butler contributed nine points in the win over the defending WAC champions.
As a team, Southern Utah shot 47% from the field, 43% on 10 made three-pointers, and 55% from the free-throw line. The rebounding battle went in favor of New Mexico State 35-34. SUU scored 25 points off of 16 Aggie turnovers. The Aggies scored just 10 points on 15 SUU turnovers.
Deshawndre Washington led New Mexico State with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Xavier Pinson chipped in 16 points and four assists. Anthony Roy added 11 points. The Aggies shot 44% from the field, 40% from beyond the arc, and 79% at the foul line.
Southern Utah Going For Weekend Sweep To End 2022
With the win, Southern Utah improved its record to 9-5 overall and 1-0 in WAC play. They have wins over La Verne, Saint Katherine, Bethesda, Sacramento State, Idaho State, West Coast Baptist, Cal State Fullerton, Northern Arizona, and New Mexico State. Their losses came against New Mexico, Kansas, Texas State, Montana State, and Colorado.
The Thunderbirds will return home to face UTRGV on Saturday, December 31 at 1:00 p.m. MT on ESPN+. Southern Utah will begin 2023 on the road against Tarleton State on Thursday, January 5 at 6:00 p.m. MT and will finish the week on the road against Abilene Christian on Saturday, January 7 at 5:00 p.m. MT.
