CEDAR CITY, Utah – With a 17-point performance, John Knight III joined the 1,000-point club at Southern Utah University as the Thunderbirds knocked off Northern Arizona, 78-66, Monday night at the America First Event Center.
The win pushed Southern Utah to 13-6 on the season and 7-2 in Big Sky play. Northern Arizona dropped to 7-13 and 3-6 in the Big Sky with the loss.
"This was a good win and I'm proud of the guys and our defensive effort in the second half," said SUU head coach Todd Simon. I thought our intensity was very good. We played a really mature game I thought. Obviously, we're starting to make shots. We figured this group would, and as we're starting to see that thing go through the net for three, that will be a good weapon for us down the stretch."
Knight led the T-Birds for the game with a total of 17 points, along with five rebounds and four assists. Dre Marin played efficiently for the Thunderbirds as well, scoring 16 points with five makes from the 3-point line. Tevian Jones recorded his second-consecutive double-double for SUU by scoring 15 points and pulling down 10 boards.
After trailing at halftime, Southern Utah's defense turned up the intensity in the second half and allowed only eight made field goals over the final 20 minutes. Overall, SUU held Northern Arizona to 39 percent shooting on the night while the Thunderbirds connected on 47 percent of their shots. The T-Birds also enjoyed a 39-33 advantage on the glass, and were aggressive getting to the free-throw line with 17 attempts to just 10 for the Lumberjacks.
The game got off to a very fast start as the opening seven buckets of the game were all 3-pointers. Southern Utah's first-15 points all came from the 3-point line, three of them courtesy of Marin. The score then went back and forth the remainder of the opening half until the Lumberjacks held an advantage heading into the locker room.
After halftime, Marin started the second half just like he did the first, by knocking down a shot from distance. Southern Utah then got to work on building a lead that could not be overcome. NAU took its final lead of the night by a single point at the 13:25 mark, but it was all SUU from there. A quick 9-0 burst by the T-Birds, capped by a Knight dunk, put them up by eight points. After the Lumberjacks responded with a dunk, an 11-2 run by SUU put the game out of reach as the Thunderbirds eventually grabbed their largest advantage at 14 points.
Southern Utah will now prepare to host Idaho on Thursday, February 3, at the America First Event Center. Tip-Off will be at 7:00 p.m. MT, and the Thunderbirds will celebrate a throwback night, paying tribute to their days as the College of Southern Utah. The game can be viewed on ESPN+.
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