CEDAR CITY, Utah -- The Southern Utah men's basketball team set a new school record for consecutive wins on Thursday night inside the America First Event Center, as they knocked off the Idaho Vandals 85-80 to claim their eighth victory in a row.
"The guys did a good job finishing out the game," SUU head coach Todd Simon said. "After a long layoff you just don't know what you're going to look like. … Luckily we were able to make shots, which we're good at, we just need to find our way defensively."
SUU's eight game winning streak surpasses the seven games in a row the 2000-01 team won, putting yet another note in the record book for the Thunderbirds.
In the opening half the T-Birds built their lead up to as many as 16, and they held a 47-35 lead going into the halftime break.
Tevian Jones had 12 points in the opening frame to lead the Thunderbird scoring output.
The Vandals were able to outscore the Thunderbirds in the second half, but were unable to climb all the way back in the contest. Clutch free throw shooting by Marquis Moore and John Knight III in the final minute secured the lead for the T-Birds.
Aanen Moody and Jones led the scoring effort for the Thunderbirds, as they both dropped in 17 points. Moody finished the game 5-of-7 from behind the three-point line.
Dre Marin had 16 points for the T-Birds, shooting 5-of-7 from the free throw line.
The T-Birds finished the contest with a 31-14 advantage in fast break points, and had 31 points off the bench.
Southern Utah will aim for their ninth victory in a row on Saturday, as they will take on the Idaho Vandals for the second-consecutive contest at 12 p.m. MT.
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Plays of the Game
