LONG BEACH, Calif. -- The Thunderbird men's basketball team wrapped up their 2019-20 non-conference schedule on Thursday evening with a big victory over Long Beach State, 84-63.
"We've challenged ourselves with as tough of a non-conference slate as we've had here, so to be able to get his many wins and win on the road is a big deal for us," SUU head coach Todd Simon said.
The Thunderbirds will enter Big Sky Conference play with a 7-4 overall record. Seven is the most non-conference victories the T-Birds have had since the 2006-07 season.
The T-Birds got off to a fairly slow start in the first half, and trailed by as many seven. However, at that point, Maizen Fausett and Harrison Butler hit back-to-back triples to pull SUU back within one.
From that point on, the T-Birds rode their momentum to eventually take the lead and ultimately closed out the opening half on a 10-0 run. That gave them a 36-22 advantage after 20 minutes.
The run became 13-0 into the second half, as Dre Marin opened up the frame with a triple of his own. That gave SUU their largest lead to that point at 17.
To start the second half alone, the T-Birds went on a 20-4 tear to build a massive lead over Long Beach State with a good amount of time still on the clock.
SUU was able to cruise to their seventh non-conference victory from that point on.
Cameron Oluyitan led the charge for the Thunderbirds with 27 points, hitting 6-of-8 shots from behind the three-point line. That mark surpassed his previous career high of 22 points set earlier this season.
"We knew that shot was going to fall eventually, and the guys kept finding him, which was really fun to watch," Simon said.
Butler finished with 12 points, while Fausett ended the night with a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds.
SUU's 15 three-pointers was just two. of tying the overall school record, and just one shy of tying the school record for threes against a Division I opponent.
"We knew we had it, and we knew we weren't what we've shown," Simon. "But we stayed with it, and stayed confident, and it paid off tonight."
The T-Birds will kickoff Big Sky Conference play following a break for the holidays, as they'll lead to Oregon to play Portland State on December 30.
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