Southern Utah Falls In Season Opener To Cal State Bakersfield
Nov 6, 2023, 10:33 PM | Updated: Nov 9, 2023, 8:45 pm
(Courtesy of SUU Athletics)
(Courtesy of SUU Athletics)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Southern Utah men’s basketball team fell in its season opener on the road to the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners.
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The Roadrunners hosted the Thunderbirds at the Icardo Center in Bakersfield, California on Monday, November 6.
SUU lost to CSU Bakersfield, 73-72.
With 27 seconds left in the second half, Dominique Ford knocked down a corner three-pointer to give the Thunderbirds a one-point lead.
DOM GIVES US THE LEAD LATE!!! 26.9 seconds remain pic.twitter.com/l6jMPRrmcg
— SUU Men's Basketball (@SUUBasketball) November 7, 2023
However, Ford’s would-be game-winner wasn’t enough for Southern Utah after Kaleb Higgins buried a couple of free throws to push Cal State Bakersfield to victory following a foul in the final seconds of the game.
The Thunderbirds’ loss came after a double-digit comeback in the second half.
After a tight first half, Southern Utah owned a 36-34 lead at halftime.
Following the break, the Roadrunners got things rolling and ended up taking the lead. Near the midway point of the second half, Cal State Bakersfield had built its lead to 13 points.
HUGE 3 POINTER#TeamBelieve | #RunnersOnTheRise pic.twitter.com/q1eQCWzTxf
— Bakersfield Men's Hoops (@CSUB_MBB) November 7, 2023
During the final minute of the contest, the Thunderbirds flew back to take the lead.
After Ford’s big bucket, Higgins’ free throws silenced Southern Utah’s hopes for a season-opening win.
SUU finished the game shooting 34.3 percent overall and 34.6 percent from beyond the arc. Cal State Bakersfield shot 44.4 percent from the field, including 29.4 percent on triples.
Braden Housley led the Thunderbirds with 22 points. Higgins carried the Roadrunners with a game-high 27 points.
House from deeep just before halftime. Thunderbirds lead at half ! pic.twitter.com/zRRel3f53G
— SUU Men's Basketball (@SUUBasketball) November 7, 2023
With the loss, the T-Birds opened the season with an 0-1 record.
Southern Utah’s next game is at home against Life Pacific on Thursday, November 9 at 6:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Kyle Ireland is a Sports Producer and Locals in the NFL Insider for sports.ksl.com. He’s also co-host of the Yards After College Podcast. Follow him on X/Twitter (@kyleireland), Instagram (@kyleirelandksl), and Threads (@kyleirelandksl).
