RENO -- After securing a first round victory for the second time in as many seasons, the Thunderbird men's basketball team will move on to the second round of the Big Sky Conference Championship Tournament in Reno, Nevada where they'll square off against the No. 2 seeded Idaho Vandals. Southern Utah and Idaho played last Saturday.

Last Time Out

The Thunderbirds were able to knock off the Idaho State Bengals in the opening round, 76-68.

Brandon Better led the charge offensively scoring 18 points for the T-Birds. Jadon Cohee finished with 15 for SUU, and Dwayne Morgan tallied a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes of play.

Despite being saddled with early foul trouble, Jamal Aytes finished with 10 points for the T-Birds in 17 minutes.

Double 'Em Up

In his second year as head coach of the Thunderbirds, Todd Simon has shown strong year-to-year improvement.

During the 2016-17 season, despite winning their first ever Big Sky Tournament game, the Thunderbirds finished the season 6-27.

This year, the Thunderbirds have doubled their win total from last season and will head into the second round of the Big Sky Tournament with a 12-18 overall record.

Opponent Preview: #2 Idaho Vandals (22-8, 14-4 Big Sky)

In two games against the Thunderbirds this season, Brayon Blake has been a problem. Against Southern Utah, Blake leads the Vandals in scoring and rebounding. His average of 23.5 ppg and 11.5 rpg puts him at double-double status against the Cedar City residents.

Victor Sanders has also been a big threat for the Vandals against the T-Birds, averaging 21.5 ppg against SUU.

Last Time vs Idaho

The Thunderbirds suffered a heartbreaker last Saturday, as Blake hit a game winning shot with just seconds to play to give the Vandals a 78-76 victory.

After trailing by as many as nine early on, the Thunderbirds went on a 13-0 run in the first half to tighten things up. The Vandals found some momentum right before the half, and took a 36-29 advantage into the break.

With 11 seconds on the clock and the game going down to the wire, McGee pulled up and drained a three for the Thunderbirds to tie the contest up at 76-76. After a missed attempt by Victor Sanders, Blake took advantage of the second opportunity and secured the game for Idaho.

Brandon Better led the scoring effort for the Thunderbirds, finishing the game with 21 points. Jamal Aytes had 17 and Dwayne Morgan had 12 before fouling out in 29 minutes of action.

Words From The Thunderbirds

Dwayne Morgan on how the T-Birds won on Tuesday night…

"We did it on the defensive end," he said. "Coach is big on saying that defense always travels, and we didn't hit a lot of shots today but we just stuck with it on defense, stayed together and cut their lead going into half time."  

Todd Simon on the keys against Idaho...

"I think the second half of the year, really since February first, where we've been holding opponents and executing defensive gameplans," he said. "Dwayne gives us a great look defensively because he can guard so many different positions … I think the alertness, awareness and commitment to that side has carried over and I think in Moscow it was apparent there."   

Tip Time

The game against the Vandals is scheduled for 6:35 MT on Thursday, 5:35 local time in the Reno Events Center.  

Where To Watch / Listen Follow Along

The game will be available to stream on WatchBigSky.com or on the PlutoTV App.

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

All games will be broadcast 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.