LAS VEGAS — A late comeback fell short as fifth-seeded Southern Utah fell 69-63 to fourth-seeded UT Arlington in the WAC Tournament Thursday.
Southern Utah, which had one of the best three-game stretches in the WAC this season by defeating Tarleton State, Abilene Christian and Utah Valley in consecutive games, was unable to overcome multiple 12-point deficits.
Jaiden Feroah and Elijah Duval combined for 39 points, with the pair shooting 5-of-18 from 3-point range.
The game opened in a defensive battle, with Southern Utah holding an 8-7 lead eight minutes into the game after Feroah, who finished with 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds, knocked down a 3-pointer to take the lead.
The Thunderbirds continued to let it fly from beyond the arc, but six turnovers 10 minutes into the half proved costly as UT Arlington scored 8 points off the turnovers to take a 19-15 lead.
Southern Utah shot better from the floor, 7-of-21, but turnovers continued to be the story of the game for the Thunderbirds' lack of offense. Despite the 11 first-half turnovers, the Thunderbirds headed into the half trailing just 29-24.
UT Arlington extended its lead to 42-30 to open the second half; however, the Thunderbirds were able to put together a brief 7-2 run on the heels of Feroah's third 3-pointer of the game. Though the turnovers were cut down in the second half, the Thunderbirds struggled to stop UT Arlington's offense.
And Southern Utah's 3-point shooting continued to dip, hitting just four of their 23 attempts.
The Thunderbirds trimmed the lead to 6 points with 4:37 to go, giving the team enough time to mount a comeback. And a 3-pointer by Elijah Duval shrunk the lead to three and gave Southern Utah a chance to tie the ensuing possession, but the shot rimmed out.
Despite the comeback attempt, the Thunderbirds fell short to end their season.
