Men's Basketball 1/29/2012 6:10:00 AM SUU Strategic Communication

Thunderbirds Edge Visiting South Dakota, 62-60

CEDAR CITY, Utah – Jan. 28 – Jackson Stevenett knocked down a pair of free throws with less than a minute to play to help Southern Utah claim a 62-60 win over visiting South Dakota Saturday night. With the victory the Thunderbirds now sit alone in fourth place in the Summit League standings with a record of 7-5 and are 12-10 on the season. The loss drops South Dakota to 2-10 in conference play and 7-14 overall.

“When we wake up tomorrow morning we will think we got the win,” said SUU head coach Roger Reid. “We made some good plays and we found a way to win.”

The matchup with the Coyotes proved to be a back-and-forth contest that featured 20 lead changes and a 28-28 tie after the first half. SUU jumped out to an early 6-0 lead to start the game behind four quick points from senior center Matt Massey. South Dakota then came back with six-straight to level the score.   The two sides traded baskets throughout the opening period until Ramell Taylor tallied eight points in the final five minutes to give the T-Birds a three-point edge in the final moments of the half. It looked like SUU would take the lead into the locker room until Louie Krogman beat the buzzer with a three to knot the score at 28 at the break.

The Thunderbird defense held South Dakota to just 33.3% shooting in the opening period, but the Coyotes were also able to knock down five three pointers. Krogman was 3-5 from behind the arc to lead USD with 12 points while Taylor had 10 first half points for SUU on 5-12 shooting.

South Dakota was able to build a six point lead in the second half as a three-pointer by Jordan Boots made the score 37-31 in favor of the visitors. Southern Utah then came back with three quick baskets to level the score.

The score remained close over the next several minutes and eventually wound up in another tie at the nine minute mark as Stevenett connected on a free throw to make the count 50-50. SUU then went on a 7-0 run capped by a fast break lay-up by Jordan Johnson that gave the T-Birds their largest lead of the ball game. The Coyotes came back however to tie the score at 59 and then go up by one as Charlie Westbrook sank a free throw with just 1:20 left on the clock.

Southern Utah was unable to score on its next possession but then forced the Coyotes into a shot clock violation to get the ball back. Trailing by one with less than a minute to play, SUU put the ball in the hands of its leading scorer, Jackson Stevenett. The junior forward drove to the hoop where drew contact and a foul to earn a trip to the line. He knocked down both attempts to put SUU up by one with 14 seconds on the clock. Krogman quickly dribbled the ball up the court and launched a three that was off the mark and rebounded by Johnson who was immediately fouled with two seconds remaining. He would hit his first attempt at the line but miss the second, giving South Dakota one last chance at a basket. The Coyotes' inbound pass was deflected by Johnson however and grabbed by Stevenett to seal the 62-60 victory for the Thunderbirds.

“We told Jackson that their coaches would be telling them not to foul, so he should put the pressure on them,” explained Reid. “He put them in a situation where they had to foul him or give up a lay-up and then he made some clutch free throws.”

Ramell Taylor was one of three Thunderbirds to score in the double figures, finishing the game with 19 points. Stevenett added 15 for SUU and Ray Jones Jr. had 13. Krogman recorded 19 points for South Dakota who also got 16 from Westbrook.

Southern Utah shot the ball 51 percent from the floor in the game while holding South Dakota to just 39.3%. The Thunderbirds also held a 36-31 advantage on the boards over the Coyotes.

SUU will be back on the road next week with visits to North and South Dakota State. The Thunderbirds will face the Bison in Fargo on Thursday at 6 p.m. and then pay a visit to the Jackrabbits on Saturday at 6:30. (MT)

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Players Mentioned

#34 Matt Massey: C; 6' 9"; Senior

#13 Ramell Taylor: SF; 6' 5"; Senior

#25 Jordan Johnson: G; 6' 3"; Senior

#21 Jackson Stevenett: F; 6' 4"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#34 Matt Massey
: 6' 9"; Senior
: C

#13 Ramell Taylor
: 6' 5"; Senior
: SF

#25 Jordan Johnson
: 6' 3"; Senior
: G

#21 Jackson Stevenett
: 6' 4"; Senior
: F