PROVO, Utah -- In an incredibly close contest at the Marriott Center in Provo, the Thunderbird men's basketball team fell to the BYU Cougars 68-63.  

"Obviously it's disappointing," SUU head coach Todd Simon said. "This was a game we felt like we could and should have won, but it's tough on the road. To hold BYU to 68 on their home floor is difficult to do."

With the result the T-Birds are now 2-1 on the season. 

The Thunderbirds struggled to get going offensively in the opening half, but warmed up as the first 20 minutes wore on. They ended up shooting 52 percent in the first half, but weren't able to execute on a triple. 

The Cougars led 36-31 at the break. Cameron Oluyitan was the leading scorer for the T-Birds through 20 minutes with eight points.  

The second half stayed incredibly tight throughout, as neither team took a lead larger than six points over the final 20 minutes of play. 

With 34 seconds to play, BYU's Jake Toolson hit a triple to put the Cougars up four. After a John Knight III free throw, the T-Birds got a stop and with 17 seconds left Dre Marin had a good look at a three that just missed and the Cougars were able to escape with the victory at home. 

Knight III finished the game as the leading scorer for the T-Birds, scoring 22 to set an SUU career high. He had 16 of those 22 points in the second half. Andre Adams finished the game with 12 points. Harrison Butler dropped in 11. 

"I think we played an overall decent game, we've just got to cut down on our turnovers," Knight III said. "We had a lot of unforced turnovers that are all on us, we've just got to work hard at practice and cut down on those." 

The T-Birds finished the game 0-of-12 from three. 

Toolson finished the game as the leading scorer for the Cougars with 22. 

The Thunderbirds will continue their road trip next week in Los Angeles, California as they take on the UCLA Bruins. Tip is scheduled for 9 p.m. MT in the Golden State. 

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. 

Season Tickets for the 2019-20 season, as well as single game tickets, are available for purchase at the America First Event Center Ticket Office and online at www.tbirdtickets.com.