ST. George — Utah Tech men's basketball coach John Judkins can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Thursday night at Barnes Arena, the Trail Blazers held on after the T-Birds' Dominic Ford hit a potential game-winning 3-pointer that missed at the buzzer, defeating Southern Utah 70-68. It broke.
“I loved the effort tonight,” Judkins said. Trail Blazers voice Rod Zundel After the victory. “These rivalry games always last until the end.”
Guard Beon Riley made a welcome return to Utah Tech's lineup. After missing several games due to injury, Riley led Utah Tech in the win with 16 points off the bench.
Noah Gonsalves contributed 15 points for Utah Tech's cause, and Jalen Searles had 13 points for the winners.
Free throws were a key part of the game, as Utah Tech made 20 of 32 from the stripe and SUU made 15 of 23 free throws.
In this game, the Trail Blazers made 4 of 16 3-pointers, while the T-Birds only made 3 of 21 long balls, and both teams missed shots.
Utah Tech took an early lead and did what it had to do. Riley was very active in the first half, giving the Trail Blazers a 33-25 lead.
The Trail Blazers then held on through a second half mired in foul calls and referee timeouts. Both teams had a combined total of 46 individual fouls.
SUU got a game-high 17 points from Zion Young in the contest, and Ford finished with 11 points. Jamari Sibley was next for the T-Birds with 10 points.
Utah Tech improved to 5-7 overall and 9-14 in the Western Athletic Conference.
Southern Utah fell one game behind at 4-8 in the conference, but fell to 9-14 overall.
The Trail Blazers will be back in action Saturday for a WAC contest against Cal Baptist at Barnes Arena at 3 p.m. SUU will travel south for the Grand Canyon on Saturday at 7pm MST.
Photo gallery
Utah Tech's Angelo Kambala attempts a pass during a Western Athletic Conference men's basketball game against Southern Utah, St. George, Utah, February 8, 2024 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George news
Utah Tech's Unisa Turay dribbles against Southern Utah in a Western Athletic Conference men's basketball game, St. George, Utah, February 8, 2024 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George news
Utah Tech's Noah Goncalves dribbles against Southern Utah during a Western Athletic Conference men's basketball game, St. George, Utah, February 8, 2024 | Photo by E. George Goold, st george news
Utah Tech's Jalen Searles dribbles against Southern Utah during a Western Athletic Conference men's basketball game, St. George, Utah, February 8, 2024 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News
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