CEDAR CITY, Utah -- The Thunderbird men's basketball team will be back on the floor this weekend as they'll play host to the West Coast Baptist Eagles before heading out on the road for a contest against LMU.
Tip off inside the America First Event Center on Friday is scheduled for 12 p.m. MT, while Sunday's game in Los Angeles will begin at 2 p.m. MT.
Last Time Out
When the Thunderbirds were last on the floor they were wrapping up play in the Maui Jim Maui on the Mainland event, where they knocked off Charleston Southern before falling to East Tennessee State.
John Knight III helped propel the T-Birds to a 35 point victory over CSU, dropping in 18 points. Jakolby Long finished with 12, while Dre Marin and Maizen Fausett both had 11.
Against the Buccaneers of ETSU, the Thunderbirds were led by Dwayne Morgan's 20 points and a double-double from Harrison Butler, but it ultimately wasn't enough as the hosts emerged victorious 70-58.
Stat Leaders
Morgan is currently the leading scorer for the Thunderbirds, averaging 14.2 points per contest in five starts.
Knight III is second on the team with 12.5 ppg, and leads the T-Birds in assists with 16.
Harrison Butler is the top rebounder for SUU, pulling in 8.2 rebounds per game at this point with 49 total.
Opponent Preview: West Coast Baptist College Eagles
The T-Birds will follow up the Thanksgiving holiday with a contest against the West Coast Baptist College Eagles inside the America First Event Center.
The two teams met last season, in a contest the T-Birds claimed 109-63. Morgan led the way in that game with 20 points, while Oluyitan had 19 for the T-Birds.
WCBC will travel to SUU following a contest with the Idaho State Bengals. The Eagles also played fellow Big Sky member Weber State this season.
The Eagles are coached by Curt Beeson.
Opponent Preview: LMU Lions (2-4, 0-0 WCC)
The LMU Lions out of the West Coast Conference will play host to the T-Birds after a week away from competition.
When the Lions were last in action, they were participating in the Junkanoo Jam held in the Bahamas. During tournament play they knocked off Air Force, but fell to Indiana State and Duquesne.
Eli Scott is the leading scorer for LMU, averaging 14 ppg. He also leads the team in rebounding, pulling in 5.7 rpg this season. Along with those two stats, he also has the most assists on the roster with 35.
Ivan Allpley is the team's second leading scorer, checking in at 13.7 ppg.
LMU participated in the postseason last year, playing in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI).
The Lions are coached by Mike Dunlap, who is in his sixth season with the program.
Words From Coach Simon
On playing at home after three weeks on the road…
"It was such a long road stretch that we're certainly a little road weary," SUU head coach Todd Simon said. "You always shoot better when you're well rested and have your legs, and you haven't been cramped up on airplanes and buses. So we're excited about that and the potential to be back in front of our home fans."
On LMU…
"They're a good WCC team," he said. "They're well coached. They're going to limit possessions, which makes your margin for error very slim, and so we're going to have to take care of the ball on the road and have great possessions. On the defensive end, we're going to have to continue to get stops. They've got a tremendous player in Eli Scott that we're going to have to focus on."
On his mindset after six contests…
"We're pleased," he said. "We're as high as we've ever been ranked in the KenPom rankings. Obviously we would have loved to steal a few more of those wins, but those are all top-100 losses. They weren't bad losses out on the road. We've shown our potential, especially against Charleston Southern and Nebraska, of how good we can be. So from that standpoint we've got a lot to build off of and we'll just focus on getting better."
How To Watch / Listen / Follow Along
Friday's game with WCBC will be livestreamed online on both PlutoTV and www.WatchBigSky.com.
The game can be heard on local airwaves and online on KSUB 590 AM with legendary Thunderbird broadcaster Art Challis on the call.
Live stats can be found online at www.tbirdstats.com.
Sunday's contest against LMU will be streamed live on the WCC Network.
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.
Ticket Information
On Friday inside the AFEC, tickets will be just $2 as part of SUU's Black Friday promotions.
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.
