Red Storm drop season opener to No. 23 Seattle Pacific

Jones, Jensen lead scoring for Storm

Box Score

ST. GEORGE – After a quick opening spurt, the Dixie State College of Utah men's basketball team found scoring opportunities hard to come by in opening day action of their own Classic. Junior forward Jobi Wall scored a game-high 10 points leading the 23^rd-ranked Falcons of Seattle Pacific University to a 58-42 win over the host Red Storm inside the Burns Arena.

Griffon Jones (Cheney, WA/Cheney) and Solomon Jensen (Centerville, UT/Viewmont) led Dixie State (0-1) with nine points each. Seattle Pacific (1-0) exacted some revenge for a pair of losses to DSC last season, including one in the NCAA Division-II Tournament.

Dixie State took an early 8-7 lead at the 14:08, but did not make any field goal until the 11:34 mark after an SPU 4-0 run. The Storm took its last lead at 12-11 only to see the visitors reel off nine straight points. Freshman Riley Stockton, nephew of NBA great John Stockton, sank a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer to put SPU up 26-14.

The lead extended to 17 points in the first three minutes of the second half as the Falcons hit a trio of triples to open play. DSC responded with a 9-0 run to pull within eight points – a margin that never got smaller.

SPU hit seven three-pointers in the second half, totaling nine for the game, to build as large as a 21-point lead.

For the first time in D-II history, DSC failed to get a single player in double figures. The 42-points posted is the lowest amount in six NCAA seasons.

Dixie State looks to rebound Saturday at 7:30 p.m. against Minot State in Day 2 of the DSC Classic.

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