CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Thunderbird men's basketball team will be back in action on Saturday, as they'll host the Lumberjacks of Northern Arizona with an eye on claiming their first Big Sky Conference victory of the season.  

Last Time Out

Last weekend the Thunderbirds traveled up North on I-15 to take on the Idaho State Bengals and the Weber State Wildcats.

In Pocatello the Bengals were too much for the Thunderbirds, as they topped SUU 93-78 despite a double-double performance from Dwayne Morgan.

Against the Weber State Wildcats, Brandon Better had 25 points for the Thunderbirds but the home team ran away with the victory in the second half 92-76.

Stat Leaders

Even though he's only played in four contests for SUU, Morgan is averaging 19 points per game this season which now leads the team as far as average is concerned. Morgan also leads the team in rebounding average with 8 rebounds per game.

Jadon Cohee leads the team in total points scored, racking up 225 over the course of the year. Cohee also leads the team with 58 assists. Cohee is third in the Big Sky in assists per game average. Cohee is also third in the Big Sky in the minutes played category.

Ivan Madunic has blocked 15 shots this season, which puts him fifth in the Big Sky when it comes to average.  

Opponent Preview: Northern Arizona Lumberjacks

The Lumberjacks of Northern Arizona will come to Cedar City looking for their first Big Sky victory of the season, and hold a 3-14 overall record at this point of the year.

JoJo Anderson leads the Lumberjacks in scoring, averaging 12.9 ppg and a total of 220 points over the Lumberjack's 17 games.

NAU's Brooks Debisschop is seventh in the Big Sky in rebounding, averaging 6.6 rpg so far this season.

NAU head coach Jack Murphy is in his sixth season as head coach of the Lumberjacks.

Big Sky At A Glance

There are only three teams left in the Big Sky with perfect conference records, and the Thunderbirds have squared off against all three of them.

Montana (4-0), Montana State (4-0) and Idaho State (3-0) sit on top of the Big Sky without a loss, and all three teams are currently riding four-game winning streaks.

Eastern Washington sits as the only team with a 3-1 record, while Weber State is the only team at 2-1.

Southern Utah, North Dakota and Northern Arizona are all still seeking their first Big Sky Conference victory.

Words From Coach Simon

On what positives he can take away from the last road trip...

"We continue to get mileage, and any time you have a new team with a lot of new guys, guys playing basketball for the first time in a little bit, you just keep getting mileage and gaining continuity which is a factor for us compared to other teams that have so many returners," SUU head coach Todd Simon said.

On Northern Arizona...

"Anybody can beat anybody in this league, and Jack (Murphy) always has a tough team," Simon said. "We're going to expect quite a fight. They're thirsty for a win, we're thirsty for a win, so it's going to be a battle."

On what his message to the team has been...

"We've got to stay the course, we've got to stay together," Simon said. "We've got to be a little more angry, we've got to play defense a little more urgently, and we can't be happy about it. I think the guys aren't, I think they want to compete, and we've got to get through it with hard work."

Tip Time

Saturday's contest against Northern Arizona will tip off at 2 p.m. MT.

Where To Watch / Listen / Follow Along

SUU's contest with NAU will be broadcast on Eleven Sports, marking the first time the T-Birds have played on the network. The game will also be available on the PlutoTV App as well as WatchBigSky.com.

A link to live stats will be provided on www.suutbirds.com prior to tip off.

All games will be available over the airwaves locally on KSUB 590 AM with legendary Thunderbird athletics broadcaster Art Challis on the call.

Follow Us

Follow the Thunderbirds all season @SUUBasketball on Twitter and Instagram and by liking the Southern Utah Basketball page on Facebook.

Read all about the Thunderbirds on www.suutbirds.com.

Ticket Information

Season tickets for the 2017-18 SUU men's basketball campaign can be purchased at www.tbirdtickets.com or at the America First Event Center Ticket Office.