CEDAR CITY, Utah -- For the first time since the team's transition to Division I basketball, the Thunderbird men's basketball team secured a postseason tournament victory as they knocked off the Drake Bulldogs in overtime 80-73 as part of the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.
"We're really excited," SUU guard Dre Marin said. "Getting in the postseason was one of goals from the get-go and to get this first postseason win here too, I'm just truly blessed and humbled."
The Thunderbirds will now move on to host CSU Bakersfield on Monday evening at 6:30 p.m. in the Second Round of the CIT.
SUU will now finish the season no worse than .500, as they sit at 17-16 following the contest.
"Just a war of a college basketball game, I mean it was a battle," SUU head coach Todd Simon said. "You saw guys cramping up on both sides, everybody was playing so hard, and hats off to Drake what a program they've got in terms of gutty players that make all the right plays. That's a good team, there's a reason they won the Missouri Valley, he's a heck of a coach and they do a great job. But it was a lot of fun."
It was all Bulldogs early in the contest, as they jumped out to a 12-4 lead.
With Drake leading 19-11, the T-Birds went on a 10-0 run to make it a contest and take a 21-19 lead. The T-Birds would ride the momentum into the break, taking a 27-23 lead into the half.
The Thunderbirds were able to hold on to their advantage for the first part of the second half, but a surge from Drake put them up 11 with 7:29 to play. However, the Thunderbirds never quit. They pushed their way back into the contest and retook the lead on a Harrison Butler layup with 1:45 to play, 66-65.
Over the final minute and a half the two teams would end up in a tie at the end of regulation, 69-69.
In the extra five minutes, the Thunderbirds outscored the Bulldogs 11-4 to secure the victory. The T-Birds are now 3-1 in overtime games this season.
Butler carried the scoring load for the Thunderbirds, scoring 21 points and earning a double-double with 11 rebounds as well.
Cameron Oluyitan was second on the team in scoring with 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the free throw line. The junior played 43 of the possible 45 minutes in the contest.
Dre Marin finished the night with 14 points and six assists clocking 40 minutes of play time.
Brandon Better finished the game with 12 points, while Maizen Fausett had eight points and eight rebounds on the evening.
The two freshmen, Butler and Fausett, combined for 29 points and 19 rebounds.
Southern Utah's bench outscored Drake's 26-6.
For the Bulldogs, Noah Thomas finished the night with 19 points. In total the Bulldogs only used seven players in the contest.
Tickets for the next contest can be purchased online at www.tbirdtickets.com.
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