JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. -- The Thunderbirds won their first of two contests in Johnson City, Tennessee on Saturday morning, rolling over the Charleston Southern Buccaneers 80-45 as part of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational Mainland Slate.
"We wanted to come out and set a tone defensively and the guys did a good job contesting shots and getting back in transition," SUU head coach Todd Simon said. "I'm proud of the guys for that effort, and offensively they did a great job sharing the ball and finding the open man."
A few minutes following tip the Thunderbirds embarked on a 10-0 run that gave them a 12-5 advantage over the Buccaneers. That run continued, and spilled over into a 21-8 run to put the Thunderbirds well in control early.
The Thunderbirds closed the opening half on a 10-2 run to take a 41-25 lead into the half. SUU shot 57 percent from the field in the opening half, hitting 16-of-28 shots.
John Knight III led all scorers through 20 minutes with 14 points.
With under seven minutes to play in the contest Dre Marin hit a triple and followed up with a layup on SUU's next possession, pushing the T-Bird lead to 29. Those baskets were part of a 12-0 SUU run that ultimately pushed the advantage to 36.
From that point on the T-Birds cruised to a 80-45 victory.
The Thunderbirds allowed just 28 percent shooting from CSU, and shot 51 percent themselves.
Knight III finished as the team's leading scorer with 18. Jakolby Long dropped in 12, while both Dre Marin and Maizen Fausett finished with 11 points.
Dontrell Schuler was the leading scorer for the Buccaneers with 20.
The T-Birds also shot 14-of-16 from the free throw line.
"We need to get some good rest, we're a little banged up right now with no Dwayne or David available today," Simon said. "Tomorrow we've got to continue to bring a good defensive effort and make every possession count."
The Thunderbirds will be back in action on Sunday. Their opponent and start time will be determined by the result of the contest between East Tennessee State and Delaware State. Stay tuned for updates on both social media and www.suutbirds.com.
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