CEDAR City, Utah. The Southern Utah men's basketball squad won its second contest in a row with a scintillating performance to down Saint Katherine, 91-49, on Saturday, Nov. 12 at the America First Event Center. The conquest improved SUU's overall record to 2-1 on the season, while Saint Katherine fell to 0-4. That's the fourth win in the series against Saint Katherine as SUU now owns a 4-0 record against the Firebirds.
A trio of Thunderbirds scored double digits this evening with graduate student guard Cameron Healy leading all scorers with 15 points. Senior guard Tevian Jones and freshman guard Martel Williams each put up 12 points of their own in the dominant outing by the 'Birds.
Sophomore center Jason Spurgin nearly nabbed a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds as he led all rebounders tonight. Meanwhile, senior guard Dee Barnes proved to be a pest defensively with four thefts.
Southern Utah owned Saint Katherine offensively, connecting on 50.8 percent of its shots by way of a 32-for-63 outing. That's the second consecutive contest eclipsing the 50-percent mark. SUU also connected on 14-of-39 three-pointers for a 35.9-percent rate. The Thunderbirds dominated on the glass, winning the rebounding battle 48-33.
Defensively, Southern Utah held Saint Katherine in check throughout the tilt. The Firebirds shot just 32.1 percent (18-56) and turned the ball over 22 times with SUU converting them into 33 points. SUU also owned the paint, outscoring Saint Katherine 32-18.
Quite possibly the most telling stat of just how much Southern Utah dominated this contest. SUU's bench (52) outscored Saint Katherine's team (48). That's the same points the bench tallied in its last contest against La Verne.
First Half
After falling behind 4-3 at the 17:20 mark, the Thunderbirds turned up the heat during the next 1:34 of play. SUU uncorked a quick 9-0 run led by Spurgin's five points including a dunk and a layup to take a 12-7 lead.
Saint Katherine returned fire during the next 2:53 of play with a 9-2 run of its own to cut the gap to 14-13.
The Thunderbirds, however, clamped down on defense during the following 4:51 of play with a stunning 21-2 sprint to claim a 35-15 lead. Healy dominated during this spurt of offense with eight points, while the Firebirds had four turnovers.
With just 5:20 left in the half, the 'Birds flexed again with a blistering 14-2 run during 3:58 of play. Williams (5) and Healy (4) led the way while Saint Katherine had another four turnovers. SUU led 49-19 after this run.
Healy put an exclamation point on the first half with a three-point buzzer beater to close out the half, 52-32.
Southern Utah dominated the half, winning the shooting percentage battle, 54.5 (18-33) to 37.5 (9-24), while also taking 10 more free throws. SUU also owned the boards, leading 23-14 in first-half rebounds. The Thunderbirds also forced 16 turnovers while only committing 6, leading to 23 points off turnovers.
Second Half
Following a quick Firebird three-pointer at the 19:34 mark, SUU exploded again with an 11-0 run during the following 3:21 of play to take a 63-26 lead. Senior forward Maizen Fausett, Williams and Barnes each collected three points, while SUU held Saint Katherine to 0-for-5 from the field.
The following 1:38 of play featured a bit more competition from the Firebirds as SUU added to their advantage with a 7-3 spurt. Junior guard Felix Lemetti drilled a three-pointer to lead the 'Birds during this stretch as Southern Utah grabbed a 70-29 lead.
The Firebirds countered during the following 4:27 with a short 9-6 run of their own. Jones, however, responded with an ice-cold trifecta as SUU remained up 75-38. Jones' three triggered a bit of an old-school NBA Jam "He's On Fire" mode as Jones knocked down another three followed by a trey from Lemetti to push SUU to an 81-38 lead at the 6:59 mark.
The next 2:15 featured a 5-3 run from Saint Katherine in what proved to be a defensive battle between the two squads. Senior guard Harrison Butler, however, had a highlight layup on a beautiful assist from Jones. SUU went into the media timeout with an 84-43 advantage.
With 3:02 left to play, leading 86-43, Southern Utah head coach Todd Simon paid off the loyal chants from the student section at the America First Event Center as freshman guards Josh Valentine and Andrew Marshall both entered the contest.
The final 3:02 of play featured an SUU 7-5 run with junior guard Zion Young collecting five points as the Thunderbirds closed out play with a 91-48 victory.
Southern Utah won the second stanza of action, 39-25, winning the shooting percentage portion of play, 46.7 (14-30) to 28.1 (9-32). SUU outrebounded Saint Katherine in this half as well, 25-19, while forcing another six turnovers.
Notable Plays
Next Up
Southern Utah completes a three-game homestand with Bethesda College on Monday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. MT. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
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