CEDAR CITY, Utah -- The Thunderbird men's basketball team bounced back from their loss on Thursday night against Montana, as they knocked off the Montana State Bobcats Saturday afternoon inside the America First Event Center 59-53.
Southern Utah moves to 9-5 on the season and 2-1 in the Big Sky following the victory.
"It was a gritty win," SUU head coach Todd Simon said. "We knew this one was going to be a dog fight. They're a good team, they've got an outstanding big, and obviously one of the best guards in the league. They do a good job, their staff does a good job, so we knew it was going to be a heck of a game. We knew that if we came out and got stops we'd give ourselves a chance, so to hold them to 27 percent is something I'm proud of."
Neither team was able to shoot the ball well in the opening half, as the T-Birds and Bobcats shot just 23 percent from the field for the first 20 minutes. The visiting team held a 21-17 advantage at the break.
Montana State started hot in the second half, and built up a 10 point advantage with 12:38 to play in the contest.
When adversity was highest, the T-Birds stepped up, and embarked on a 12-0 run to take a 41-37 lead.
The Thunderbirds continued to take advantage of their improved shooting, taking a six-point lead with just over three minutes on the clock.
SUU made big plays down the stretch, including a Maizen Fausett and-one that resulted in a three-point play, to put a lid on the contest and top the Bobcats.
The T-Birds shot 41 percent in the second half from the field, and hit 17-of-19 from the free throw line.
For the third consecutive game, Maizen Fausett finished with a double-double, scoring 13 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. He was the team's leading scorer.
Both Harrison Butler and John Knight III finished with 12 points for the Thunderbirds.
Southern Utah's bench outscored Montana State's 25-9.
The T-Birds overcame 3-of-22 shooting from behind the three-point line to knock off their Big Sky counterpart.
The T-Birds will be back out on the road next week for a single contest, as they'll travel to Pocatello for a matchup with the Idaho State Bengals. Tip-off from Reed Gym is set for 7 p.m. MT.
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Read all about the Thunderbirds on www.suutbirds.com.
Plays of the Game
