Utah Tech Downs Thunderbirds In WAC Opening Round
Mar 11, 2025, 4:45 PM
Justin Bieker floats to the hoop against Utah Valley during the 2024-25 season. (Photo courtesy of Utah Tech Athletics)
(Photo courtesy of Utah Tech Athletics)
SALT LAKE CITY – Southern Utah couldn’t overcome Utah Tech for the third time this season, falling to the Trailblazers 72-65 to open the WAC tournament.
No. 8 Utah Tech (7-25, 3-14) faced No. 9 Southern Utah (12-19, 4-13) at Burns Arena in St. George, Utah on Tuesday, March 11.
Final from BURNS ARENA#TBirdNation pic.twitter.com/Cwo04W1vJ8
— SUU Men's Basketball (@SUUBasketball) March 11, 2025
Hakim Byrd’s 19 points led four Trailblazers in double-digits. Noa Gonsalves had 14, with the pair combining for eight threes.
Dominique Ford led the Thunderbirds with 16 points and three assists in the loss,
First Half
Hakim Byrd scored five early points for Utah Tech, but the Trailblazers fell behind 7-6 at the first media timeout.
1H | Hakim for 3️⃣‼️#UtahTechBlazers 🦬 | #WACmbb pic.twitter.com/26wyALQppr
— Utah Tech Men's Basketball (@UtahTechMBB) March 11, 2025
The game stayed tight through the first ten minutes, with neither team leading by more than five. Dominique Ford led the Thunderbirds with ten points on three field goal attempts.
UTT led 25-21 with 7:56 left.
Offensive rebound ➡️ BOOOOOOM 👌🏼 pic.twitter.com/6QMpZWkC6i
— SUU Men's Basketball (@SUUBasketball) March 11, 2025
Byrd kept rolling, hitting 4-of-5 shots from deep, extending the Trailblazer lead to 31-21 with 6:18 in the half.
1H | Hakim Byrd with the triple for @UtahTechMBB 🎯 We love a good rivalry game!
📺 https://t.co/lgej1XhAQE (ESPN+)#OneWAC x #WAChoops x #WACvegas pic.twitter.com/1NecJ3dc7G
— The Western Athletic Conference (@WACsports) March 11, 2025
UTT took a 38-27 lead into the locker rooms at the half. Byrd’s 14 points led all scorers. Ford was the only other player in double-figures with ten points.
Utah Tech shot 50 percent (14-of-28) from the field and made 8-of-11 threes. 11 second-chance points helped Southern Utah keep the game close.
Second Half
Leading by nine, Noa Gonsalves came off a screen and knocked down a three to give the Trailblazers a 45-31 lead.
SUU responded to its largest deficit by making four of five shots, cutting the gap to nine with 11:33 left.
THATS A TUFF BUCKET ZO😤😤#TBirdNation pic.twitter.com/qrFIvlG3xO
— SUU Men's Basketball (@SUUBasketball) March 11, 2025
Minutes later, Byrd’s fifth deep ball of the afternoon bumped the lead back into double-digits.
The Thunderbirds wouldn’t go away quietly. SUU used a 9-2 run to get within five points with 4:51 left. A Xavier Sykes three forced Utah Tech to call a timeout to stop the bleeding.
2H | Xavier Sykes said @SUUBasketball is not done yet as he cuts the deficit!
📺 https://t.co/lgej1XhAQE (ESPN+)#OneWAC x #WAChoops x #WACvegas pic.twitter.com/j6iKMKff7R
— The Western Athletic Conference (@WACsports) March 11, 2025
Utah Tech advanced to Las Vegas with the
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Utah Tech advances to face No. 1 Utah Valley (23-7, 15-1) on Wednesday, March 12. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. MT at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Wolverines swept the two-game season series.
The 2025 WAC Basketball Tournament is held March 12-15 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Brian Preece is a KSLSports.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X and Instagram and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
