Southern Utah Men’s Basketball Drops Close Contest At Tarleton State
Jan 5, 2023, 9:09 PM
Southern Utah guard Drake Allen (Courtesy of SUU Athletics)
(Courtesy of SUU Athletics)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Southern Utah men’s basketball program fell in its first contest of 2023, a close loss on the road to the Tarleton State Texans.
The Texans hosted the Thunderbirds at Wisdom Gym in Stephenville, Texas on Thursday, January 5.
Southern Utah lost to Tarleton, 68-65.
FINAL.#TBirdNation pic.twitter.com/50vTGrKaiM
— SUU Men's Basketball (@SUUBasketball) January 6, 2023
It was a tightly contested matchup between the T-Birds and Texans throughout much of the evening. However, for much of the night, the visiting team found itself in a small uphill battle.
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The Texans owned a 12-point advantage at one point, while the Thunderbirds never lead by more than a bucket.
Tarleton State won the first 20 minutes of game time by only a point and took a 36-35 lead into the locker room at halftime. In the second half, the Texans edged the Thunderbirds by two points.
After Drake Allen buried a three-pointer to give Southern Utah a 63-62 lead with 1:33 left to play, the Texans made a layup and four free throws to seal the game.
Southern Utah finished the contest shooting 44.2 percent overall and 30.0 percent on triples. Tarleton State shot 43.6 percent from the floor, including 53.3 percent from downtown.
Cam trims the lead to only 1 with 4 seconds remaining 👀#TBirdNation pic.twitter.com/HGNoWNr3Zx
— SUU Men's Basketball (@SUUBasketball) January 6, 2023
One of the Texans’ largest advantages came on defense. Tarleton had eight steals for the game compared to only one by SUU.
Three Thunderbirds reached double figures in scoring. Allen and Maizen Fausett led Southern Utah with 14 points apiece. Fausett went 4-8 on field goals while adding six rebounds and two assists. Allen shot 4-7 overall and recorded two rebounds and two assists.
Garry Clark led the Texans with 20 points off the bench.
With the loss, the T-Birds fell to a 10-6 record this season, including 2-1 in Western Athletic Conference action.
SPURGIN MONSTER DUNK 😈#TBirdNation pic.twitter.com/IqkE6JEJKB
— SUU Men's Basketball (@SUUBasketball) January 6, 2023
RELATED: Southern Utah Outlasts Vaqueros In WAC Overtime Thriller
Southern Utah’s next game is on the road against Abilene Christian on Saturday, January 7 at 5 p.m. (MDT). The game will be streamed on ESPN+. It will be Southern Utah’s first-ever meeting with Abilene Christian.
