CEDAR CITY, Utah -- Following back-to-back victories over rival opponents, the Thunderbird men's basketball team will be back on their home court inside the America First Event Center to host the Portland State Vikings (Thursday, January 17) and the Sacramento State Hornets (Saturday, January 19).
Last Time Out
Thanks to a last-second shot by Dre Marin, the Thunderbirds won their second-straight game last Saturday against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 84-82.
Marin hit the game-winner with 1.5 seconds to go, capping off an impressive performance by the sophomore. He finished with 13 points, tied his career-high with seven assists and pulled down six rebounds.
Cameron Oluyitan led the T-Birds in scoring with 18, followed by a career high 17 from Harrison Butler and the same number from Jacob Calloway. Butler was one rebound away from a double-double, pulling in nine boards.
Clutch Gene
Over the last two contests, Marin has proven to be incredibly clutch for the Thunderbirds playing a pivotal role in the team knocking off Weber State and Northern Arizona.
Against the Lumberjacks, Marin had eight points in the final minute of play. That included his game-winning shot, a three-point bucket and a made layup that also resulted in an extra point at the free throw line.
Opponent Preview: Portland State (6-9, 1-3 Big Sky)
The Vikings of Portland State have claimed victory in one of their first four Big Sky Conference matchups this season, knocking off the Montana Grizzlies but falling to Northern Colorado, Montana State and Weber State.
Sophomore Holland Woods has been the leading scorer for the Vikings this season, averaging 15 points per game. Woods and Marin were teammates at Apollo High School in Arizona before both attending separate Big Sky institutions. Woods also leads the team in assists and steals.
PSU head coach Barret Peery is in his second season with the program. Peery played basketball at Southern Utah, and also served as an assistant coach for the Thunderbirds from 1998-2002.
Last Season/Series History vs. The Vikings
During the 2017-18 season, the Thunderbirds and Vikings only squared off one time and PSU took the contest 96-91.
Dwayne Morgan was the leading scorer for SUU in that contest, finishing with a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds. Marin posted a career-high 18 points in that game as well, which he just recently matched against Weber State.
The Vikings lead the all-time series against SUU 9-1, and have won eight-straight contests dating back to 2013. SUU won the first matchup on January 24, 2013.
Opponent Preview: Sacramento State (6-7, 0-4 Big Sky)
After a solid non-conference campaign, the Hornets of Sacramento State are still in search of their first Big Sky Conference win of the season. They will visit Northern Arizona in Flagstaff before making their way to Cedar City.
Senior leader Marcus Graves has been the offensive go-to for the Hornets this season, averaging 15.5 ppg. He's closely followed by junior Joshua Patton who's currently averaging 13.2 ppg.
Brian Katz is in his 11th season as the head coach of the Hornets. He is the winningest coach in Sacramento State's Division I history.
Last Season/Series History vs. The Hornets
The Thunderbirds and Hornets met just once last season, in a contest the T-Birds emerged victorious 77-74.
Brandon Better led the T-Birds offensively in the contest, finishing with 20 points. Morgan and former T-Bird Jamal Aytes both finished with 13 points.
The T-Birds and Hornets have met 26 times, as the series dates back to 1992. SUU leads the all-time series 14-12.
Words From The T-Birds
Todd Simon on the team finding their footing as the season goes on...
"We have a team that is inexperienced, and we talked about getting off this inconsistent roller coaster, and that kind of comes natural as you go through experiences and opponents for the first time," he said.
Oluyitan on the team's mindset heading into this week...
"We just need to keep doing what we do, the wins will take care of themselves," he said. "We just need to clamp down on defense and get open shots, because anybody on this team can hit anything they want. If we do what we do we can beat anybody."
Promotions
Thursday's game against Portland State is SUU's "Game on Memory Lane." Fatheads will be given to the student section featuring classic television show characters, and the contest will feature music primarily from 2000-2010. The Canyon View Dance Team will be performing at halftime.
Saturday's game will feature the Utah Jazz Dunk Team as the halftime entertainment. The game will also have popcorn available for just $2. Fans who attend the gymnastics meet the night before will receive half off admission if a ticket is presented at the time of purchase.
Where To Watch / Listen / Follow Along
Tip off is set for 6:30 PM on Thursday against the Vikings and 2:00 PM on Saturday against the Hornets.
Live streams for all of Southern Utah's home contests and Big Sky Conference matchups will be available on the PlutoTV App and WatchBigSky.com.
A link to livestats will be available at www.suutbirds.com prior to tipoff.
KSUB 590 AM is you home for Thunderbird men's basketball home games all season long, with Legendary 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.
Tickets
Individual game tickets for the 2018-19 Season are available at www.tbirdtickets.com or at the America First Event Center Ticket Office.
