State men's basketball roundup: Highlanders hold off Thunderbirds

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Southern Utah's shooters suffered through an ice-cold second half Saturday night, hitting just 5-of-22 baskets after the break, and the Highlanders were able to connect enough in the final two minutes to record a 57-52 win over their Thunderbirds in the BracketBuster matchup.

The game was close throughout, with UCR matching its largest lead of the game with the final score, while SUU?s biggest lead was six, early in the second half.

Ray Jones scored 18 points, 14 in the first half, to lead the Thunderbirds, while Jackson Stevenett added 13 points and eight rebounds and Matt Massey finished with 10 points. SUU had just seven assists, tying its season-low, and was out-rebounded 38-32.

WESTMINSTER 69, LEWIS-CLARK STATE 53: At Salt Lake City, AJ Reilly had a strong night off the bench, scoring a game-high 17 points on 6-for-10 shooting. Alex Drecksel came through with 14 points off the bench as well, and Jordan Hayter 10 of his own.

SOUTHERN IDAHO 87, SLCC 73: At Twin Falls, Idaho, the Bruins were plagued with foul trouble and were unable to generate consistent offense as a result. Skyler Halford scored a team-high 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field followed by Gabe Kindred with 12 points. Jayson Chessman was unstoppable below the basket, scoring 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting, but foul issues kept Chessman in and out of the game. The Bruins (20-7, 7-5 SWAC) return home for their final home games of the season nest weekend as they prepare for the Region 18 Tournament hosted at Salt Lake Community College on March 8-10.