RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Despite a season-high 28 points from Dominique Ford — all in the second half — the Southern Utah University Thunderbirds men’s basketball team were unable to complete the comeback and fell to California Baptist 73-68 on the road. 

The Southern Utah University Thunderbirds men’s basketball team fell to California Baptist 73-68 in Riverside, California, Jan. 20, 2024 | Photo courtesy SUU Athletics, St. George News

The Thunderbirds drop to 6-12 on the season and 1-6 in Western Athletic Conference play.

“Unfortunately, it’s the same story,” Thunderbird coach Rob Jeter said. “Until we can string together multiple stops in a row, we aren’t going to win these games. We pulled within two, but were unable to get stops down the stretch.”

Neither team led by double-digits at any point, and the Lancers held on to a seven-point halftime lead throughout the rest of the game. SUU cut their lead to two points with 3:29 remaining in the game, but that is as close as it would get to victory. SUU shot a solid 45% from the field but went just 3-13 from three-point range.

Ford didn’t score a single point in the first half, scoring 28 points on 8-15 from the field and 11-13 from the free-throw line to end the game.

Zion Young added 15 points of his own, including 10-10 from the free-throw line. Parsa Fallah scored eight of the team’s first 10 points, finishing with 14 total and added eight rebounds in the game.

Up Next:

The Thunderbirds travel to Texas next week to a game at Tarleton St on Thursday, Jan 25. Then on to Abilene to take on Abilene Christian on Sat, Jan 27.

Lady T-Birds

The Southern Utah University women’s basketball team fell to California Baptist by a score of 93-67 in Riverside, California, Jan. 20, 2024 | Photo courtesy SUU Athletics, St. George News

The Southern Utah University women’s basketball team fell on the road to California Baptist on Saturday afternoon by a score of 93-67.

The Thunderbirds move to 4-12 overall and 2-5 in Western Athletic Conference play.

“It’s time to regroup, come together and find an identity,” Thunderbird coach Tracy Mason said. “From top to bottom we need more from people and we have to do it as a collective group.”

SUU managed to stay within striking distance, 17-14, with 3:36 remaining in the first quarter. The Lancers used a 10-3 burst to jump in front 27-17 at the end of the period.

Alexa Lord poured in eight of the Thunderbirds’ 12 points in the second frame to fuel the T-Birds attack. CBU held a 52-29 advantage at the break.

The Lancers stayed aggressive as they extended their lead to 77-41 approaching the final quarter of play. Southern Utah saved its best for last, outscoring California Baptist 26-16 in the fourth period, with  Charli Kay registering 10 points to lead the Thunderbirds. Cal Baptist would go on to claim a 93-67 victory.

Alexa Lord scored a season-high 15 points to lead the Thunderbirds. Ashley Banks recorded a double-double with 11 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Charli Kay was the third T-Bird to reach double-figure scoring, adding 10 points on 4-6 shooting from the field. Alexandra Eldredge took advantage of her first career start, tallying eight points, three assists and two steals.

Up Next:

The Thunderbirds will return to the friendly confines of the America First Event Center as they host Tarleton State on Thursday, Jan. 25. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 6:30 p.m. (Mountain Time) in Cedar City.

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