LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The Thunderbirds opened the MGM Grand Main Event Tournament with a 83-68 loss to the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers.
"We're in the process of learning how to win, and I think the emphasis on every possession mattering is still something we have to get over," head coach Todd Simon said. "We carry one mistake and make it two way too often."
James McGee led the Thunderbirds in the loss with 23 points. Randy Onwuasor and Race Parsons added 22 and 14, respectively. Parsons led the team in assists with four. Ivan Madunic led in rebounds with eight.
"Offensively, we're coming around, but our offense doesn't start unless we get stops," McGee said. "We have to put things together. We know what we're supposed to do, we just need to go out there and do it. All of us do."
Southern Utah shot 36.7% from the field as Coastal Carolina shot 55.6%.
The game tied at nine and at 12 before Onwuasor drained a three to put the Thunderbirds ahead, 15-12. The game knotted again at 18 and 19 before Coastal Carolina pulled ahead for a 31-28 lead. The Chanticleers took an 8-2 run to round out the opening half with a 39-30 lead.
Southern Utah tipped off the second half with five-straight points to cut the Chanticleer lead before CCU rallied for a 48-40 advantage. Christian Musoko put in a layup before a Parsons three-pointer and a McGee layup forced a one point game with 15 minutes to play.
The Chanticleers took a run to grab a 66-56 lead with just under 10 minutes to play before the Thunderbirds put up a 5-0 run with a pair of free throws and a layup from Onwuasor followed by a Musoko Layup to mark a five-point game.
The Thunderbirds weren't able to crack the five-point gap throughout the remainder of the game, resulting in a 83-68 Coastal Carolina victory.
"It's a process. We trust the process. It's a learning process," McGee said. "Coastal Carolina is a great team, and it was a good test for us."
Wrapping up MGM Grand tournament play on Wednesday, the Thunderbirds take on Ball State on Nov. 23 at 1:30 p.m.
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