CEDAR CITY, Utah -- After a lengthy hiatus from league action, the Thunderbird men's basketball team knocked off the Sacramento State Hornets on Thursday evening inside the America First Event Center by a final score of 88-69. With the victory, the Thunderbirds have now won 12 games in a row at home.
Southern Utah is 14-3 on the season after winning the first of two contests against Sacramento State, and 7-2 in Big Sky Conference play.
"I was proud of the guys' effort," SUU head coach Todd Simon said. "We've been hungry to get back on the floor. You just don't know after such a long time between league games what you're going to have, but we played how we practice. We've had nothing but great practices, great enthusiasm, we shared the ball and these guys enjoy playing with each other."
The two teams went back-and-forth for the opening 12 minutes, but with 7:48 on the clock the Thunderbirds embarked on a 9-0 run to gain control of the opening half.
At the break, Southern Utah led by 16 points. They shot 60 percent from the field in the opening half, and 67 percent from behind the three-point line.
Over the final 20 minutes, SUU's lead never dipped below 13 points, and built to as many as 26, as they emerged with their seventh Big Sky victory.
Balanced scoring was a big part of Southern Utah's success, as six different players finished in double figures.
Tevian Jones was the leading scorer for SUU, dropping in 24 points through 26 minutes of action. He also pulled down seven rebounds.
John Knight III finished with 15 points, and led the team in assists with eight on the evening.
Harrison Butler finished with 13 points, while both Maizen Fausett and Dre Marin had 12. Fausett led the team in rebounding with a season-high 11 boards.
Aanen Moody was the sixth T-Bird to reach double-digits with 10 points.
SUU tied its season-high with 13 three-point field goals made on the evening.
The Thunderbirds found plenty of success in the paint, outscoring the Hornets 42-28. Along with dominating the painted area, Southern Utah outrebounded the Hornets 44-23 over the 40 minutes of action. SUU also held a big advantage in bench points, 23-11.
For the Hornets, Christian Terrell led the scoring effort with 18.
SUU will host the second game of their series with Sacramento State on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. MT inside the America First Event Center.
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Plays of the Game
