Southern Utah University’s men’s basketball team will play against the University of Texas at Arlington Mavericks in the quarterfinals of the Air Force Reserve Western Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament, according to a March 11 announcement. The game is scheduled for Thursday, March 12 at The Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The matchup marks the fourth meeting between the two teams this season. During the regular season, UT Arlington won two out of three games against Southern Utah. In their first encounter, Marcell McCreary scored 39 points for UT Arlington as they defeated Southern Utah 86-77. The second game saw Southern Utah struggle offensively and lose 61-80 in Arlington. However, Southern Utah secured a win in their most recent meeting with a score of 78-73, led by Elijah Duval’s 20 points and five players scoring in double digits.
Elijah Duval has received several postseason honors from the Western Athletic Conference for his performance as a freshman point guard. He was named WAC Freshman of the Year, selected to the All-Conference Second-Team, and included on the All-Freshman team. Jaiden Feroah was recognized for his defensive efforts by being named to the WAC All-Defensive team after leading the league with 51 blocks this season.
Despite ending their regular season with losses to top-ranked teams UVU and California Baptist University (CBU), Southern Utah secured the No. 5 seed in the tournament. Duval leads his team with an average of 15.6 points per game and nearly four assists per game, coming off a career-high performance of 30 points against CBU. Tanner Hayhurst, who did not play in the last regular-season game, is expected to contribute with his strong three-point shooting percentage.
UT Arlington enters as the No. 4 seed and features key players such as Marcell McCreary—named to the WAC Second-Team—and Jordan Lowery—selected for the All-Freshman team. The Mavericks are known for their defensive strength, allowing opponents just 66 points per game on average while ranking second in offensive rebounding within their conference.
Tickets for Thursday’s quarterfinal matchup are available online through The Orleans Arena website.
