Box Score CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Thunderbird men's basketball team played a competitive game against the Weber State Wildcats on Thursday night, but eventually fell to their in-state rivals 90-80.
The Thunderbirds played in front of 3,817 fans on Thursday night, which was a 2017-18 season high.
Both teams got off to a hot start, as the T-Birds led 10-8 at the first media timeout. Both Dwayne Morgan and Jamal Aytes had four points after four minutes had ticked off the clock.
The T-Birds built their lead to as many as nine, but that was when Weber State got hot. The Wildcats went on a 15-0 run down the stretch of the opening half to build a 33-29 lead at the break.
Weber State stayed hot in the second half, building their lead to as many as 14. The T-Birds never let the game get out of hand, but Weber State never relinquish the lead and held on for a 90-80 victory.
Aytes led the Thunderbirds in scoring with 20 points. He finished 7-of-12 from the field. Christian Musoko also finished with 15.
"We're throwing it in there, and guys are trusting them," SUU head coach Todd Simon said about the production he got out of his post players. "Those guys go 13-for-20 down there. They're so physical, they have guys all over them every single time, and to their credit their incredibly effective."
James McGee finished with 12 points. With his performance, McGee moved up to seventh all-time in the Thunderbird record book. He now has 1,212 career points.
Dre Marin scored all eight of his points down the stretch, and was critical in the Thunderbirds effort to stay in the contest late.
"It just shows how high his ceiling is going to be for years to come," Aytes said about the freshman point guard. "I'm very proud of him, he's put in a lot of work in the offseason and in the gym all season long."
Weber State's Jerrick Harding and Dusty Baker both finished the game with 21 points. Baker finished 10-of-10 from the free throw line.
The Wildcats shot 70 percent from three in the contest, and shot 86 percent in the second half from behind the line.
"It's tough because you want to guard the ball screen, you want to guard the roll and there's always something man," Aytes said. "We've just got to try and get better and cut down those threes next time."
Next up for the Thunderbirds will be a contest against Idaho State University, which is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.
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Read all about the Thunderbirds on www.suutbirds.com.
Single game tickets for the 2017-18 SUU men's basketball campaign can be purchased at tbirdtickets.com or at the America First Event Center Ticket Office.
