CEDAR CITY, Utah, Feb. 7 ? John Clifford scored 18 points and pulled down 15 rebounds Saturday night to notch his fifth double-double of the season as Southern Utah powered to an 81-69 Summit League win over UMKC.
    The Thunderbirds put together a 26-4 run over the final 2:23 of the first half and the first five minutes of the second to move from a 22-20 deficit to a 46-26 advantage, then held on as the Kangaroos scrapped to get back into the game.
    Mike Josserand came off the bench to spark the T-Birds in the final minutes of the first period, hitting a 3-pointer and three free throws as SUU outscored the ?Roos 10-0 over the final 2:23.
    At the beginning of the second half Tyler Quinney scored seven points, Davis Baker added five and Clifford and Josserand each scored a basket while UMKC got just a pair of baskets from Latreze Mushatt over the first five minutes of the half.
    “We put together a nice run there, but UMKC played hard, got in our face defensively and put together a nice run,” SUU Coach Roger Reid said. “We were trying some different things out there but UMKC didn't ever quit and they made us fight for it all the way.”
    After SUU built the 20-point lead the ?Roos went to a full-court press, eventually pulling within 10 points but they could never cut the deficit to single digits.
    Southern Utah had six players score in double figures, hit 31-of-34 free throws (91.2 percent) and out-rebounded UMKC 35-25 to overcome a season-high 22 turnovers. Baker finished with 17 points and six rebounds while Quinney and Dave Marek each scored 11 and Josserand and Cory Davis each finished with 10. Josserand also had six assists, his highest total since dishing out eight at UNLV on Dec. 23.
    SUU's made free throw total and free throw percentage were both season-highs and the Thunderbirds also shot the ball well from the field, hitting 23-of-44 shots overall (.523) and 4-of-9 3-pointers (.444).
    SUU also held UMKC to 41.1 percent shooting (23-of-56), including just 9.1 percent from 3-point range (1-of-11).
    “I thought we did a good job defensively on them for the most part, particularly from the perimeter, but they were able to get to the basket on us and that concerns me,” Reid pointed out.
    Bakari Lewis led UMKC with a game-high 23 points, many of them coming on drives to the basket, while Musatt was the only other ?Roo in double figures, with 16 to go with a team-high five rebounds.
    With the win the Thunderbirds moved into fourth place in the Summit League standings as     IUPUI lost at home, 91-69, to North Dakota State, Centenary lost at Oakland 78-65. SUU moved past IUPUI and out of a tie with Centenary.
    The Thunderbirds go back on the road next week as they travel to South Dakota State on Thursday before meeting league-leader North Dakota State Saturday night.

-- SUU --