CEDAR CITY — Coming off two big conference wins over Tarleton State and Abilene Christian, Southern Utah hosted Utah Valley for the second of three matchups this season.
After falling to the Wolverines in Orem two weeks ago, the Thunderbirds came out victorious Wednesday in a 84-70 victory to continue its hot stretch, securing the team's third win in a row.
Jackson Holcombe finished with 26 points for the Wolverines to pair with his 13 rebounds, two blocks and three steals. But it was five scorers in double figures for Southern Utah that pushed them over the edge.
Jaiden Feroah led the Thunderbirds with 18 points and nine boards, while Tanner Hayhurst continued his hot stretch with 14 points.
After coming off a seven-game losing streak, the Thunderbirds are now 7-13, where three of those wins against NCCAA opponents. Southern Utah is now 3-4 in the WAC and currently sits in fifth, while Utah Valley remains in first.
Both of Utah Valley's conference losses have come to teams ranked in the bottom three of the conference.
The Wolverines shooting slump continued as the team made just 34% of its shots, while Southern Utah continued to excel from the field, nearing 50%. Points from eight different players gave Utah Valley just a 35-34 deficit heading into the second half.
Much like the first game of the season, the second half opened with more firepower on the offensive front, with Utah Valley hitting back-to-back 3-pointers to take a 44-42 lead.
Southern Utah sprouted a 9-1 run backed by three 3-pointers, prompting a Utah Valley timeout with 12 minutes to play.
The Thunderbirds offensive firepower continued, hitting their 10th 3-pointer of the game, notching a 50% clip from beyond the arc with a 61-54 lead.
While the Wolverines efficiency in the second half was far better, Southern Utah was able to answer any sort of Utah Valley pushback to comfortably keep a nine point lead through the remainder of the game.
The Wolverines made it a 5-point game, with a chance to cut the deficit to two with over 90 seconds to play, but failed to stop the Thunderbirds and gave up 4 straight points to push the Thunderbirds lead back to nine and end the game.
