Utah Valley Sweeps Season Series With Southern Utah
Feb 17, 2024, 9:16 PM
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Valley men’s basketball team came up with a big win on the road by defeating the in-state rival Southern Utah Thunderbirds.
UVU defeats SUU in Cedar City
The Thunderbirds hosted the Mavericks at the America First Events Center in Cedar City, Utah on Saturday, February 17.
RELATED: Utah Valley Blows Out Southern Utah For In-State Victory
How Sweep It Is 🧹#GoUVU | #ValleyForged pic.twitter.com/cAhbLjPfjX
— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) February 18, 2024
Earlier this season, the Wolverines defeated the T-Birds in Orem.
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On Saturday night, the Thunderbirds opened the contest on a 6-0 run and built a double-digit lead by the midway point of the first half. However, the Wolverines got things going late in the half and trimmed their deficit to a single point by the break. SUU went into the locker room with a 39-38 advantage on the scoreboard.
After halftime, the roles were reversed. Utah Valley jumped in front of the home team and took an 11-point lead in the middle of the second half. The Thunderbirds responded with a run during the final minutes of the contest.
With 1:01 left to play, Southern Utah cut Utah Valley’s lead to one point.
The Wolverines closed the game out at the free throw line and SUU’s Zion Young missed a game-tying three-pointer at the final buzzer.
Utah Valley finished the evening shooting 52.2 percent overall and 25.0 percent from beyond the arc. Southern Utah shot 44.8 percent from the field but only 16.7 percent from distance.
Drake Allen led the Wolverines with 18 points.
Drake Allen goes COAST to COAST!#GoUVU | #ValleyForged pic.twitter.com/QRE7UWPGOs
— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) February 18, 2024
Parsa Fallah had 19 points for the Thunderbirds.
AND 1️⃣ for Parsa 🗣️
SUU cuts the lead to only 2 with 1:29 remaining 👀 pic.twitter.com/o7dqoryuQZ
— SUU Men’s Basketball (@SUUBasketball) February 18, 2024
Up Next for Southern Utah men’s basketball
With the loss, the Thunderbirds dropped to a record of 9-17 this season, including 4-11 in Western Athletic Conference games.
Southern Utah’s next game is on the road against the UT Arlington Mavericks on Thursday, February 22 at 6 p.m. (MT). The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
FINAL.#TBirdNation ⚡️ #RaiseTheHammer pic.twitter.com/rSBrQXSCPn
— SUU Men's Basketball (@SUUBasketball) February 18, 2024
RELATED: WAC Releases 2023-24 League Schedule For UVU, SUU, Utah Tech MBB
Up next for UVU men’s basketball
With the loss, the Wolverines improved to a 12-14 record this season, including 7-8 in the WAC.
Utah Valley’s next game is at home against the UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros on Thursday, February 22 at 6 p.m. (MT). The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Kyle Ireland is a Sports Producer and Locals in the NFL Insider for KSLSports.com. He’s also co-host of the Yards After College Podcast. Follow him on Threads (@kyleirelandksl), Instagram (@kyleirelandksl). and X (@kyleireland).
