MISSOULA, Montana – Southern Utah lost a close, defensive battle Saturday night at Montana, 56-58. The Thunderbirds (5-13, 2-5) tried to play spoiler in a game that would have given the Grizzlies (10-8, 6-1) only their second conference loss of the season.
Coming off a poor defensive outing on Thursday, the Thunderbirds defense played extremely well Saturday, holding Montana to 58 points, well below their season average of 70. SUU was forced to play catch-up during a majority of the second half and had a game-winning opportunity at the buzzer. The Grizzlies were unable to convert critical free throws down the stretch, allowing the Thunderbirds two opportunities to extend and win the game. However, junior guard, AJ Hess' three-point jumper missed at the buzzer, a shot that would have given SUU a one-point victory.
Freshman guard, Austin Waddoups who contributed eight points, two rebounds and an assist said he was pleased with his teammates play Saturday night and feels the team is close to big things. “Overall, I think everyone played good, we have to keep our heads up and keep moving,” Waddoups said. “I think we're ready to do big things, just minor issues we have to fix as a team.”
After missing their first four shots, the Thunderbirds got hot, taking a quick 9-2 lead. A lead SUU was able to contain throughout the first half. The Thunderbirds defense was able to hold Montana scoreless for the first four and a half minutes of the game, after which the Grizzlies cut the deficit to two. For every run that Montana went on, SUU had an answer. With 5:21 remaining in the first half the score was knotted at 15, but the Thunderbirds finished the half strong, outscoring the Grizzlies, 8-4.
Casey Oliverson led the Thunderbirds with six first half points, two rebounds and a block. Sophomore guard, Race Parsons added five points and the Thunderbirds forced six first half turnovers. SUU held an advantage in the rebound category 19-13, six of which were offensive rebounds. Southern Utah used its defense to grab a 23-19 advantage at halftime.
To open the second half Montana's defense clamped down on the Thunderbirds, only allowing two points in the opening six minutes of play. During that stretch the Grizzlies grabbed an eight-point lead, its largest of the game. Montana continued to badger the SUU offense with its tight defense, forcing the Thunderbirds into seven second-half turnovers. However, Southern Utah battled through the turnovers and Montana defense. With just under four minutes to play SUU trailed 49-50 with the ball, but was unable to get over the hump. With four seconds remaining in the game, Travon Langston drove to the basket and had his lay-up attempt blocked by Mario Dunn of Montana. The Thunderbirds final shot failed and the Grizzlies held on for the win.
Head Coach Nick Robinson said he was proud of his team's fight all night and felt that outside of the turnovers, the team played great. “Even given the 19 turnovers we had opportunities to tie it at the end,” Coach Robinson said. “Our guys showed tremendous heart and competed all the way until the end.”
Parsons ended up leading the Thunderbirds with 13 points and added two rebounds. Oliverson and Langston finished with 17 combined points and 12 rebounds, and the SUU bench contributed 24 points, six rebounds and four assists. The Thunderbirds were finally able to gather a victory in the rebound category, where they out-rebounded the Grizzlies, 35-30. Outside of turnovers, SUU competed in every statistical category and had an opportunity to steal one away from Montana, but the stars did not align.
The trio of Dunn, Martin Breunig, and Jordan Gregory, for the Grizzlies, scored 44 of Montana's 58 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. The biggest factor for the Grizzlies was the success they found at the free throw line where they converted 16-23 compared to just 6-8 for SUU. Again, it was a tough defensive battle and in the end the Grizzlies were able to make one more play than the Thunderbirds.
Southern Utah returns home next Saturday and will play Northern Arizona (9-11, 4-3) at the Centrum Arena in Cedar City.
