CEDAR CITY, Utah -- After picking up their first postseason tournament victory in school history, the Thunderbird men's basketball team will be back in action on Monday, March 25, as they play host to the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners in the second round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.
Round One Recap
It took five extra minutes, but the Thunderbirds knocked off the Drake Bulldogs in the first round of the CIT 80-73. The Bulldogs were the regular season champions of their conference, and gave the T-Birds all they could handle for 45 minutes.
Harrison Butler matched his career high in the contest, scoring 21 points and pulling in 11 rebounds to secure a double-double on the night.
Cameron Oluyitan finished the game with 15 points and grabbed a career-high nine rebounds to go along with five assists.
Dre Marin finished with 14 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals, while Brandon Better dropped 12 points in 20 minutes of play.
Historic Season Continues
The T-Birds get to play yet another game as part of the 2018-19 campaign, which has been one of the best the program has experienced in recent memory.
With the victory on Monday evening the Thunderbirds secured their first .500 or better record this season, which is the first time that has happened in Cedar City since the 2006-07 season.
SUU's 17-16 record also means the team has matched the second-highest amount of wins the program has experienced in a single season since transitioning to Division I basketball.
Opponent Preview: CSU Bakersfield (17-15, 7-9 WAC)
The Roadrunners of CSU Bakersfield knocked off Cal State Fullerton in their first round matchup in the Riley Wallace Classic, with a 66-58 win.
CSUB didn't have the strongest close to the season, as they dropped their final five regular season contests in the WAC, and dropped their first contest in the WAC Tournament in Las Vegas.
SUU and CSUB had several similar opponents this season, as the Roadrunners also knocked off San Jose State, Weber State, Idaho and Portland State during their non-conference season.
Sophomore guard Jarkel Joiner is the leading scorer for the Roadrunners, averaging 16.1 points per contest. Rickey Holden and Damiyne Durham both average just about 10 points per game for CSUB.
History vs. The Roadrunners
The Thunderbirds and Roadrunners have only met twice as foes, and SUU is 2-0 against CSUB all time.
The T-Bird's victories came in both 2010 and 2011.
Where To Watch / Listen / Follow Along
Tip off is set for 6:30 p.m. MT on Monday, March 25 inside the America First Event Center.
Live streams of the contests will be available at the following link: http://www.watchcit.com/
A link to livestats will be available at www.suutbirds.com prior to tipoff.
Tickets
Tickets for the Second Round of the CIT are available on www.tbirdstats.com or at the America First Event Center Ticket Office.
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.
