CEDAR CITY, Utah – Southern Utah was looking to snap a four-game skid Saturday night against Northern Colorado. The Thunderbirds (5-16, 2-8) had opportunities to put the Bears (12-10, 7-4) away, but turnovers plagued SUU for most the night and Northern Colorado held the Thunderbirds off for an 84-80 win.
After trailing by ten with just over five minutes to play, SUU's Juwan Major took over scoring six straight for the Thunderbirds and taking a charge that stole momentum and cut the deficit to three. However, SUU was unable to hold onto the momentum down the stretch, as Northern Colorado converted free throws into points and maintained its lead. SUU's final push came with under a minute to play when the Thunderbirds converted four three-point jumpers cutting the UNC lead to four.
Major said that turnovers have been a big reason why the team has struggled lately in close games. “We have to be strong with the basketball,” Major said. “A lot of the turnovers we have are from mistakes on our side. So we just have to figure out a way to stop doing it.”
The Thunderbirds started the game with guard A.J. Hess making two technical free throws, giving SUU its first points before the tip. After the tip it seemed to be all Northern Colorado. The Bears went on a quick 10-3 run and established an early lead using full-court pressure on the Thunderbirds. SUU was able to regain its composure and stay with UNC, but midway through the first half the score favored the Bears, 21-15.
Freshman forward Tyler Rawson knocked down a jumper as the shot clock expired tying the game at 28 with 2:30 to play in the first half and after a three-point shot by SUU's Trey Kennedy, the Thunderbirds led by two with just over a minute on the clock. SUU's defense clamped down on the Bears, allowing just eight points in the final ten minutes of play and taking a 31-29 point lead into the half.
Hess led all-scorers with ten points in the first half; he also added a block, rebound and an assist. The Thunderbirds outrebounded Northern Colorado 18-14 and SUU outshot the Bears from beyond the arch in the first half. Southern Utah may have been able to push its lead to more before half; however, ten turnovers prevented the Thunderbirds from pushing their lead any further than what it was at two.
Northern Colorado, who ranks 20th nationally in field goal percentage, shot 46.4 percent through the first half; but the SUU defense held the Bears to 4-14 (28.5 percent) from the field in the final ten minutes. Tim Huskinsson led Northern Colorado with seven points and three rebounds, while the Bears had six players who scored at least three points.
Both teams came out hot in the second half, but the Bears were able to convert three SUU turnovers into points and grab a 41-39 lead. The Northern Colorado offense caught fire from beyond three, where they converted their first three attempts of the second half. Hess kept the Thunderbirds within striking distance, making his first three shots of the half. After an and-one lay-in by Casey Oliverson, SUU trailed 50-48 with ten minutes to play in the game.
Northern Colorado's Cameron Michael and Tevin Svihovec shot a combine 8-9 from the field in the second half, five of which were three-pointers. With 8:15 to play in the game the Bears had shot its lead to ten at 58-48 and seemed to be in complete control. The Thunderbirds fought hard during the last five minutes, but could not stop Northern Colorado who was sure to make the most of each possession in crunch time.
Head Coach Nick Robinson said he was happy with the team's offense performance tonight. “Our guys showed a lot of fight throughout the game. I thought we played well offensively, but defensively we've got to continue to improve.”
The Thunderbirds had five players in double-digit scoring as Hess, McGee, Major, Oliverson and Rawson combined for 60 of the teams' 80 points. SUU was also able to finish ahead of UNC in rebounds, 34-27. The stat that killed the Thunderbirds was 19 turnovers. Of the 19 turnovers forced, the Bears scored 27 points.
Northern Colorado shot 68.2 percent from the field and finished 23-35 from the free throw line. Michael and Svihovec combined to score 41 points, while Huskinsson added 14 points and nine rebounds in the win.
SUU travels to Weber State on Thursday and Idaho State next Saturday. Tip is set for 7:05 p.m. MST with live stats online at suutbirds.com. Live audio can be heard online as well as the radio on KSUB 590 AM. Live video can be seen for every home game at watchbigsky.com or on the Watch Big Sky app.
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