Southern Utah University’s men’s basketball team lost to Abilene Christian University despite holding a double-digit lead in the second half. The Thunderbirds’ record now stands at 9-19 overall and 5-10 in Western Athletic Conference play.
Logan Stephens led SUU with a career-high 20 points, shooting 5-for-7 from the field and making all three of his attempts from beyond the arc. Elijah Duval contributed 19 points, two rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block. Tanner Hayhurst added 16 points with perfect three-point shooting, while Jaiden Feroah scored 12 points along with three rebounds, three assists, four steals, and two blocks.
The Thunderbirds started strong by making nine of their first twelve shots and built a 14-point lead after a transition three-pointer by Duval with seven minutes left in the first half. SUU went into halftime ahead 48-38.
However, early in the second half, SUU struggled offensively with only five shot attempts and six turnovers in the first five minutes. ACU narrowed the gap to two points with thirteen minutes remaining. Although SUU managed to hold off ACU for several more minutes, the Wildcats eventually took a two-point lead just under ten minutes to play and extended it to as much as six points multiple times during the final stretch.
With less than thirty seconds left, Stephens hit a three-pointer to reduce ACU’s lead to three. After ACU made one of two free throws on their next possession, Duval quickly scored on a floater to bring SUU within two points with seven seconds remaining. Stephens then stole the inbound pass and passed to Duval for a potential game-tying layup that narrowly missed.
SUU had an efficient shooting night overall, converting 58 percent of its field goals (29-of-50) and making nine out of thirteen three-pointers. Despite this accuracy, the Thunderbirds committed twenty-four turnovers which resulted in twenty-three points for ACU. While SUU scored forty-eight points in the first half, they managed only thirty-five in the second half and allowed forty-nine points after halftime. Five different players from ACU reached double figures in scoring.
SUU’s next game is scheduled for Saturday, February 28 against Utah Tech in Cedar City. The Thunderbirds will attempt to avoid being swept by Utah Tech this season.
