CEDAR CITY, Utah -- With just four home games remaining in their 2019-20 schedule, the Thunderbird men's basketball team will be inside the America First Event Center this week for contests against Northern Colorado (February 6) and Portland State (February 8). Both games are critical contests for the Thunderbirds in terms of the Big Sky Conference standings.
Last Time Out
The Bengals started the contest off on the right foot, building an early 9-4 advantage. ISU continued to hold the lead and went up by as many as six with 10:46 to play.
As the half rolled on, the T-Birds started to claw back. SUU went on a 7-0 run to take a five point lead with 4:30 to play in the opening 20 minutes.
The Thunderbirds were able to close the opening frame on an 8-0 run to take a 42-31 lead into the locker room.
In the second half, Southern Utah got hot, and built their lead to 18 points with just over eight minutes to play.
The Bengals would not go silently into the night, however, as they cut the T-Bird lead all the way down to three points with just over a minute to play.
In that final minute, the T-Birds were able to make the right plays, including a fastbreak dunk by Cameron Oluyitan, to seal the contest and pick up the conference victory.
Stat Leaders
Through 21 starts Oluyitan has distanced himself as the leading scorer for the Thunderbirds, averaging 13.9 points per game this year. John Knight III is the only other T-Bird to average in double-digits, with 12.4 ppg.
Harrison Butler continues to lead the team in rebounding, with an average of 7.0 rebounds per game this season. Maizen Fausett isn't too far behind either, averaging 6.1 rpg.
Knight III leads the team in assists with 52 total and an average of 2.6 per game. Oluyitan leads the team in steals with 31 total and 1.5 per game.
Daouda (David) N'Diaye leads SUU in blocks with 20 total for an average of 1.5 per game.
Opponent Preview: Northern Colorado Bears (14-7, 7-3 Big Sky)
The Bears of Northern Colorado will head to Cedar City after claiming a win in three of their last four contests. This will be the first matchup between SUU and UNC so far this season.
Jonah Radebaugh is the leading scorer for Northern Colorado, scoring 16 ppg on average. He is currently seventh in the Big Sky Conference in that category. He also leads the Big Sky in assists, with an average of six per game.
Bodie Hume isn't too far behind in terms of scoring, averaging 14.1 ppg.
Northern Colorado relies on making shots behind the three-point line, and is ranked 37th in the NCAA in terms of total attempts. UNC puts up 10.3 triples per contest, which ranks them sixth in the NCAA. They also take care of the basketball incredibly well, sitting fourth in the nation in terms of fewest turnovers.
Southern Utah and Northern Colorado have squared off 14 times in their Division I history, with UNC winning 11 of those contests.
Jeff Linder was hired at Northern Colorado ahead of the 2016-17 season, and found success right away leading UNC to the College Insider Tournament title in 2018. He was aned Big Sky Coach of the Year for the 2018-19 season.
Opponent Preview: Portland State Vikings (11-12, 5-6 Big Sky)
For the second time this season the T-Birds will square off against the Vikings, who have split their last four contests with two victories and two defeats.
Portland State will not have a contest on Thursday leading up to the matchup, but will instead play at Northern Colorado the following Monday.
It was the T-Birds that emerged victorious when the two teams last met in Portland.
Oluyitan was the leading scorer in that contest for the Thunderbirds, dropping in 24 points. Knight III also finished with 20, while Fausett and Dre Marin had 15 and 14 respectively.
Holland Woods was the leading scorer for Portland State, finishing the game with 25 points.
State of the Big Sky
Riding a six-game winning streak, the Eagles of Eastern Washington have taken the top spot in the Big Sky Conference. They currently hold an 8-2 record in league play.
Montana sits second with an 8-3 Big Sky record, closely followed by Northern Colorado at 7-3. The Thunderbirds are 6-4 on the year, with Northern aRizona right behind in fifth with a 6-5 mark.
Words From Coach Simon
On the stretch of four games in one week...
"I thought we bounced back well and finished strong," SUU head coach Todd Simon said. "Obviously we would have liked to have a few more victories in there, but there were a lot of good learning moments and we're making progress to our ultimate goal of making a run at this league."
On the team's mindset this week...
"We're just talking about finding consistency," he said. "Not getting too high, not getting too low, and not putting too much pressure on ourselves. I think that's going to be a big factor for us as we look to find our rhythm."
On Northern Colorado...
"We've got to be tough and we've got to defend," Simon said. "If we could contest every shot and take care of the ball on our end we think we'll have some success, but obviously taking away their three is a priority."
On the rematch with Portland State...
"We've got to take care of the ball," he said. "We had some empty possessions up there, and we've got to take care of the ball here and do the best we can to make it a clean basketball game where we can capitalize in both transition and the half court.
How To Watch / Listen / Follow Along
All Big Sky Conference games will be available to stream on both the PlutoTV App and www.WatchBigSky.com.
A link to live stats, live video and any available radio feeds will be available on www.suutbirds.com prior to tipoff.
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.
Ticket Information
Season Tickets for the 2019-20 season, as well as single game tickets, are available for purchase at the America First Event Center Ticket Office and online at www.tbirdtickets.com.
