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CEDAR CITY — Southern Utah continued the losing trend Thursday night.
The Thunderbirds are now on a three-game skid after a 78-68 loss to Seattle U.
It's the second time this season the Redhawks (15-10, 8-6 WAC) have beaten the Thunderbirds (9-16, 4-10 WAC), who dropped to ninth in the Western Athletic Conference resume seeding system with the loss, by 10 points.
The Redhawks matched their season-high for 3-pointers made in a single game, draining 11 shots from beyond the arc for the fifth time this year.
John Christofilis was 5-of-10 from 3-point range on the way to his 25-point total to lead all scorers; Christofilis had 18 points in the first half alone. Cameron Tyson followed Christofilis' lead by putting up 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting and 3-of-8 from behind the arc.
Seattle U kept their focus on the defensive side, as well, and held the Thunderbirds to just 25 points on 8-of-28 from the field in the first half. By the game's end, they held the team to 40% shooting — just one player shoot over 50%.
Southern Utah had a different offensive approach on their end.
The Thunderbirds put up 32 points in the paint and went 4-of-12 from 3-point range. Jamari Sibley led their scoring effort with 17 points, just one ahead of Dominique Ford's 16 points.
The charity stripe presented a challenge for Southern Utah in the game, too. The Thunderbirds forced the Redhawks into 19 fouls and took 26 attempts from the free-throw line but missed 10, matching the difference in the final score.
The Thunderbirds had the lead to start the game, but they never saw it again. After going up 8-5, Seattle U went on a 9-3 run to take control and never looked back. In the first half, the Redhawks built the lead to 16 points with just over a minute left after a 3-pointer by Viktor Rajković put the visitors up 39-23.
Fresh out of the locker room, Southern Utah came into the second half looking like a brand new team. The Thunderbirds started the period on a 12-0 run, going 4-of-4 from the field and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line over a three-minute stretch.
Tyson ended the Redhawks' scoring drought with a 3-pointer, letting his first long-range basket of the night come at a crucial time.
And just like that, the tables turned for a second time, and Seattle U went on a 10-3 run to regain the momentum lost. Once the visitors climbed back up to a double-digit lead, they never let it get under the 10-point mark.
Despite the loss, the Thunderbirds handled the ball better than they have this season. The home team gave up just eight turnovers, which is four fewer than their average this season, and allowed just 8 points off them. They also matched their average of 11 assists, heavily due to Ford's five, his highest total this season.
Southern Utah struggled to follow their shots, though, and allowed six more defensive rebounds than they collected. The Redhawks frontcourt fought for 40 total rebounds and 14 second-chance points. All 11 Seattle U athletes that touched the court recorded at least one rebound.
The Thunderbirds welcome Utah Valley to Cedar City Saturday at 6:30 p.m. MST. Earlier this season, the Wolverines gave the Thunderbirds an 80-62 loss. If Utah Valley can pull off the victory again, the all-time series between the two teams will be tied at 7-7.
