SUU men score 134 in opening rout of West Coast Baptist
Nine Thunderbirds reach double figures as SUU posts its highest-scoring game since at least 2000-01.
CEDAR CITY - Southern Utah opened its 2026-27 men's basketball season Monday, Nov. 2, by beating West Coast Baptist 134-69 at the America First Event Center, according to SUU Athletics. The point total was the program's highest in a game since at least the 2000-01 season.
The previous high in that span was 126, reached against West Coast Baptist in 2019 and Bethesda in 2022, the school said. It was also SUU's top-scoring opener in that period. The Thunderbirds never trailed and were up 71-35 at the break.
Nine SUU players reached double figures, led by Jajuan Nicholls and freshman Mikhail Protsenko with 14 points each. Protsenko, listed at 7-foot-1, hit all seven of his field-goal tries in eight minutes. Cale Barclay and DJ Smith each scored 13, and Smith grabbed a team-best eight rebounds. Anthony Breland added 12, and Rashaad Davis handed out six assists.
SUU made 56 of 83 shots (67.5%), held a 98-24 edge in the paint and outrebounded the Eagles 54-19. It finished with 30 assists against six turnovers. West Coast Baptist, an NCCAA program from Lancaster, Calif., shot 35.4%.
SUU, now 5-0 in the series, hosts Grace (Calif.) at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5.
Source: SUU Athletics recap, Nov. 2, 2026; SUU Athletics preview, Nov. 1, 2026