CEDAR CITY, Utah -- For the second-consecutive home game Southern Utah's John Knight III scored the go-ahead basket for the Thunderbirds, which eventually gave them a 62-61 victory. There were just 54 seconds on the shot clock when he made the shot, and after some free throws back-and-forth the T-Birds snapped UC Santa Barbara's five-game winning streak.
The victory moves the T-Birds to 6-4 overall this season, with a 4-0 record inside the America First Event Center.
"It was a hard fought game against a very good team," SUU head coach Todd Simon said following the contest. "That's a well respected Santa Barbara team. They do a good job, they're older with experienced players and they're well coached. We knew we'd need every second and every possession to get that one."
The first half started incredibly close, as it stood at 18-18 with 7:34 remaining in the opening frame.
In the closing minutes of the first half the T-Birds went on a 6-0 run, and eventually took a 32-29 lead into the halftime break.
The T-Birds built an eight point lead in the second half, and were in control with 8:24 to play. UCSB quickly climbed back into the game, however, and the contest was tied with under two minutes to play.
As the game came to a close, the Thunderbirds made the right plays down the stretch, including Knight's go-ahead basket with under a minute remaining to claim the victory.
The Gauchos started the second half on a 7-0 run, but the T-Birds quickly made up the ground and the game was tied up at 38-38 when the first media timeout of the frame was called.
Knight III finished the contest with 19 points to lead all scorers.
Harrison Butler had a double-double, scoring 10 points and pulling down 10 boards. Maizen Fausett was the third T-Bird in double figures, scoring 11 points.
SUU held an 8-0 advantage in fast break points, and scored 12 points off UCSB's turnovers.
The Thunderbirds will be back on the road next Thursday as they'll head to Long Beach, California, to face off against Long Beach State. Tip is set for 8 p.m. MT.
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Plays of the Game
