CEDAR CITY, Utah -- After kicking off Big Sky Conference with a 2-0 start, the Thunderbird men's basketball team returns to non-conference competition this week with a road trip to Orem to face off against Utah Valley University on Wednesday.
Montana Series Recap
Southern Utah moved to 3-1 on the season over the weekend, as they swept the Montana Grizzlies in their first Big Sky series of the season.
The games were strikingly similar in how they played out, as both victories came by a single point that the Thunderbirds secured at the free throw line.
Maizen Fausett had a massive series for the T-Birds, averaging 15.0 points per game and 7.0 rebounds per game over the two contests. Fausett earned Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honors for his performance over the course of the weekend.
John Knight III led the scoring effort in the opening contest against the Griz, scoring 21 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the freethrow line. He also led SUU in rebounding on Thursday with nine boards, including another team-high three offensive rebounds.
In the second contest, Tevian Jones and Dre Marin both dropped in 19 points to pace the Thunderbird offense. Marin finished that game with eight rebounds, second only to Fausett's nine.
These results mark the first time since joining the Big Sky Conference that the Thunderbirds have completed a regular season series sweep of the Griz.
Record Watch
Southern Utah hit a lot of milestones over the past weekend, with potentially more coming up soon.
Now with 56 career wins under his belt, Todd Simon became the second-winningest head coach in the Division I history of the Thunderbird men's basketball program, surpassing Neil Roberts and Roger Reid for the spot. The next coaching wins milestone will take a little while to reach, however, as Bill Evans sits on top of the list with 208 career wins.
After securing two blocks against Montana on Saturday, senior center Ivan Madunic moved into third all-time in the Thunderbird Record Book with 88 career blocks. He passed Kenyatta Clyde, who had 87 in his career.
Also on Saturday, Dre Marin made his 100th appearance in a Thunderbird jersey, becoming only the 13th player in the program's Division I history to hit that number.
Assuming he makes an appearance against Utah Valley on Wednesday, Ivan Madunic will hit the same career milestone as Marin, as the senior guard started the season one game ahead of his teammate.
Opponent Preview: Utah Valley University Wolverines (2-1, 0-0 WAC)
The Wolverines of Utah Valley have gotten off to a 2-1 start, with victories over Adams State and Westminster, and a loss to Brigham Young University.
Three games in, the Wolverines have two players scoring at a high rate. Both Jamison Overton (19.7 ppg) and Trey Woodbury (19.0 ppg) have proven themselves as go-to players on the offensive end.
Fardaws Aimaq is also averaging in double figures at 13.0 ppg. Aimaq is averaging a double-double with a current 14.3 rebound per game average.
Former NBA champion Mark Madsen is in his second season as head coach at Utah Valley.
Southern Utah and Utah Valley have only met seven times as Division I foes, with the T-Birds claiming the two most recent matchups. UVU holds a 4-3 DI series advantage.
Last season the Thunderbirds topped Utah Valley at home 73-72 in a thriller. Knight III scored the go-ahead basket with eight seconds to play to give Southern Utah the victory.
Former T-Bird, and current Spanish professional basketball player, Cameron Oluyitan led the Thunderbirds in scoring with 19 points.
Words From The T-Birds
Todd Simon on moving on to Utah Valley…
"That's going to be a big game for us," he said. "Obviously it was a barn burner here last year, and they do a great job. They've reinvented their roster. They're big, they're physical and they've got perimeter guys. They've got a lot to be excited about, so we've got to be ready."
John Knight III on the first weekend of Big Sky play...
"We just put the Big Sky on notice," he said. "That was two big statement games. They were picked number two in the rankings, and we beat them two times, and that's hard to do. No disrespect to them, they're a good team, but we came prepared to play. That's how we want to play this year, we want to put the Big Sky on notice."
Where To Watch / Listen / Follow Along
SUU's game against Utah Valley will tip off at the UCCU Center in Orem at 6 p.m. MT, and can be viewed on the WAC Digital Network.
This contest can be heard over the airwaves on KSUB 107.7 FM and 590 AM in Cedar City, and KDXU News Radio 890 AM and 94.9 FM in St. George. Chris Holmes was recently announced as the new radio voice for the Thunderbirds, taking on play-by-play duties moving forward.
A link to live stats will be available on www.tbirdstats.com prior to tipoff.
Keep up to date on Southern Utah's Schedule Page for all the most recent updates and links.
Follow the Thunderbirds all season @SUUBasketball on Twitter and Instagram and by liking the Southern Utah Basketball page on Facebook.
