PORTLAND, Ore. – Southern Utah dropped its conference opener in Portland on Thursday night. In a tight game against Portland State (7-4, 1-0), the Thunderbirds (3-9, 0-1) came up just short in a comeback effort.
After starting 0-4 from the field, SUU went 7-9 and added three free throws to grab a 20-13 lead midway through the first half. Portland State's defense clamped down before the half as the Thunderbirds went 5-for-16 over the last ten minutes of the first half. A 23-6 run by the Vikings gave them a 40-36 lead at the half.
SUU outshot the Vikings in the first half, going 44.4 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from three. Trey Kennedy led the way in the first half with 10 points and A.J. Hess was right behind him with nine. Casey Oliverson grabbed four boards in just nine minutes in the first half and John Marshall and Hess both had two assists.
Oliverson came out hot in the second half making his first three field goals and tying the game at 42-42, but a quick Gary Winston three gave PSU the lead again. The Vikings went on a 9-0 run before a Tyler Rawson dunk would break the streak and start a 6-0 run for the Thunderbirds to bring them within four points at 52-48. PSU would hold a four to six point lead for a majority of the second half before a couple free throws from Hess would bring the Thunderbirds within one at 62-61 with just under four minutes to play.
After the Vikings made seven free throws in the final 2:16 of the game, AJ Hess' three-point jumper missed at the end of regulation to give the Vikings a 71-68 win over the Thunderbirds.
"We did a great job defensively tonight, but Portland State did an even better job of getting to the free throw line which turned out to be the difference in the game." Head Coach Nick Robinson stated, "We started and finished each half with great energy and execution, but didn't make the plays we needed to during a few stretches to give us a better opportunity to win the game."
Hess, Oliverson, and Kennedy all had strong showings in the conference opener. Each scored in double-digits with Kennedy leading the way with 16, Oliverson chipping in 12, and Hess adding 13. Oliverson was also the leading rebounder for SUU with six boards.
"Offensively, Casey had a great second half finishing plays and Trey consistently made plays throughout the game, but we didn't get the defensive rebounds we needed at crucial times which led to 12 second chance points."
The Vikings had four players in double-digits, Winston had 18 and Braxton Tucker 16, while Teigbe Bamba and DaShaun Wiggins added 10 and 12 respectively.
Southern Utah will travel to Sacramento State on Saturday to face the Hornets at 8:00 p.m. MST. Sacramento State won their conference opener on Thursday night over Northern Arizona.
The Hornets are led by guards Mikh McKinney and Dylan Garrity, who average 17.1 and 14.2 points per game. As a team, CSUS is averaging 69.5 points per game and are shooting 47.4 percent from the field. Look for SUU to have an advantage on the glass as the Hornets give up more rebounds then they get per game.
