Cedar City, Utah - The Thunderbird men's basketball team started hot on Thursday night inside the Centrum Arena, and closed out a wire-to-wire victory over La Verne 105–85.
“Our defensive tone to start the first half was great,” SUU head coach Nick Robinson said about the victory. “In the second half we didn't defend nearly as well as we needed to, but overall I was pleased. The guys came out and executed the gameplan, they got in the paint, they finished plays, they got to the free throw line and finished free throws, and when we finished our defense we were able to get out in transition, so I'm very pleased with the overall effort from the Thunderbirds tonight.”
The Thunderbirds came out pushing the tempo and it paid off, as they went on a 15–0 run to start the game. Those 15 points came from four different starters for the Thunderbirds.
The T-Birds continued to cruise as the first half rolled on. The Thunderbirds continued to establish their dominance and by the end of the first 20 minute period had a 54–28 lead. Juwan Major led the way in the first half, putting up 14 points.
“The game plan initially was to get to the hole and lay the ball in the basket,” Major said about the start. “So that was what everybody's mindset was initially.
The Thunderbirds dominated the paint in the first half, outscoring the opposition 32–6. SUU also pushed the tempo in the first half, outscoring the Leopards 16–0 in the fast break points category.
The Leopards started heating up in the second half, but the T-Birds were able to slow their momentum and hold strong to pull away with a 105–85 victory.
The Thunderbirds were solid from the freethrow line to close out the game, aiding in the victory. Throughout the night the T-Birds shot 33-of-44 from the stripe.
SUU's paint domination continued throughout the entire night, as they outscored the Leopards 52–16 in the painted area.
Trey Kennedy led the T-Birds in scoring with 20 points, shooting 70 percent from the field.
Major finished with a career-high 17 points, hitting seven-of-10 from the field and six-of-seven from the free throw line. Robinson said he was impressed with his junior guard's effort.
“Juwan came out with a defensive mentality and he was able to get out in transition with his teammates and then once he realized that he was able to get in the paint and finishes plays,” he said.
Guard Travon Langston finished with a double-double scoring 15 points and pulling down 13 rebounds. A.J. Hess dropped in 14 points, and three other Thunderbirds finished with 11.
Major said the win will help boost the team's confidence moving forward.
“We've played a lot of good teams and for us to finally get a win is good for the program,” he said.
Anthony White led the Leopards in scoring finishing the game with 18. Nicholas Lewis had a productive night as well, dropping in 13 points.
Next up for the Thunderbirds is a trip to Orem to take on Utah Valley University. Robinson said Thursday's game will be a good springboard for Saturday.
“Utah Valley plays very similar to La Verne,” he said. “They spread you out, they shoot a lot of threes and for us, we've got to continue to move the ball, turn it over a little bit less, but we're going to have to guard the three-point line moving into next game. So this is a great opportunity for us to get some confidence from the win, but also to understand how important it's going to be to defend the three-point line against our next opponent.”
Tipoff against UVU at the UCCU Events Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday. The game can be heard over the airwaves on KSUB 590 and updates can be followed on Twitter @SUUGameday.
