Southern Utah Comes Up Short Against Colorado
Dec 21, 2022, 7:21 PM
Southern Utah Thunderbirds guard Harrison Butler (Courtesy of SUU Athletics)
(Courtesy of SUU Athletics)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Southern Utah Thunderbirds came up short in a hard-fought game against the Colorado Buffaloes 86-78 on Wednesday in Boulder.
Southern Utah was outscored 38-34 in the first half by Colorado and 48-44 in the second half.
Southern Utah stayed close to the Buffs in the first half, trailing 38-34 after the first 20 minutes of play. Harrison Butler finished with nine points and eight rebounds in the first half. Cameron Healy dropped eight points off the bench. Maizen Fausett chipped in five points as SUU shot 33% from the field, 41% from the three-point line, and went 3-for-4 from the free-throw line.
Butler’s Double-Double Highlights Contentious Colorado Clash#TBirdNation https://t.co/1vtNHfgZD3
— SUU Men's Basketball (@SUUBasketball) December 22, 2022
KJ Simpson and Nique Clifford each scored 10 points for Colorado in the first half. Tristan da Silva added nine points as Colorado shot 40% from the field, just 1-for-11 from the three-point line, and attempted 14 free throws while hitting 11.
In the second half, Southern Utah shot 48% from the field, 38% from the three-point line, and made all nine of their free throw attempts. Colorado made 50% of their field goal attempts, 22% of their three-point attempts, and connected on 10-of-18 from the foul line.
Butler led the way for the Thunderbirds with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Healey finished with 15 points off the bench. Tevian Jones dropped 14 points. Fausett added 13 points.
For Colorado, KJ Simpson led the way with 21 points. Tristan da Silva had 20 points and 10 rebounds. Nique Clifford contributed 14 points and six rebounds. Ju Hammond III added 11 points off the bench.
Southern Utah Concludes Non-Conference Schedule With Loss To Colorado
Southern Utah had their four-game winning streak and are now 8-5 on the season. They finished their non-conference schedule with wins over La Verne, Saint Katherine, Bethesda, Sacramento State, Idaho State, West Coast Baptist, Cal State Fullerton, and Nothern Arizona. Their losses came against New Mexico, Kansas, Texas State, Montana State, and Colorado.
Southern Utah will begin WAC play on Wednesday, December 28 against New Mexico State in Las Cruces. Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m. MT.
