Cedar City, Utah - The Southern Utah University men's basketball team returns to the America First Event Center Saturday after a three-game road stretch for a monumental matchup against Montana State. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. MT, and the game is available for viewing on ESPN+.

Game Info

Southern Utah vs Montana State

Date: February 19, 2022

Tip-Off: 2:00 p.m. MT

Location: Cedar City, Utah

Venue: America First Event Center

Stream: ESPN+

Watch | Stats | Southern Utah Game Notes (PDF)

Preview

Southern Utah (16-8, 10-4) enters Saturday's game looking to rebound from a heartbreaking loss on Monday night at Northern Colorado. 

Saturday's game proves to be one of the biggest of the season for the Thunderbirds, as Montana State (20-6, 12-3) remains at the top of the Big Sky standings despite dropping a game to Eastern Washington on Thursday night. The T-Birds sit right behind them in the standings, currently in a tie with Weber State for second place, and in need of a win if they hope to repeat as Big Sky regular-season champions.

In conference play, Southern Utah boasts the highest-scoring offense in the Big Sky, putting up an average of 81.3 ppg this season. On the other side, Montana State will look to rely on their defense, as they currently rank first in the conference in team defense, allowing a meager 67.7 points per game on the season in Big Sky play.

Tevian Jones, John Knight III, and Maizen Fausett are averaging a combined 43.6 points per game this season, making them the third-highest scoring trio in the conference. They will look to get going early against a stingy Bobcat defense and lead the T-Birds to their 11th conference win of the season with only five regular-season games left on the schedule following Saturday's contest.

The Bobcats are led by Jubrile Belo, a 6-9 forward from London, England. Belo leads the team in scoring at 13.5 points per game while pulling down an average of 6.6 rebounds and blocking almost 2 shots per contest.

Prior Matchup

The T-Birds were scheduled to travel to Bozeman, Montana earlier this season, but that game was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols. On Tuesday it was announced that the game has been rescheduled for March 1, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. MT.

Last Time Out

Southern Utah let a 17-point lead slip away in the final 5:36 of play at Northern Colorado earlier this week, losing by a final score of 100-95.

The Thunderbirds struggled in the first half, trailing by as many as 14 and going into the halftime break with a 9-point deficit to overcome. After shooting 43 percent from the field and putting up 35 points in the first half, the T-Birds shot lights out for most of the second half, scoring 60 points in the period and shooting 61 percent from the floor.

After a Jason Spurgin three-pointer pushed the lead to 17 and forced the Bears to call a timeout with just over five and a half minutes to go in the game, Southern Utah went ice cold, going 1-6 from the field while committing five turnovers for the remainder of the contest. Northern Colorado caught fire at the right time as they made 10 consecutive shots out of the timeout and ended the game on a 32-10 run to secure the comeback victory. 

Jason Spurgin led the way for SUU, putting up a career-high 22 points on 8-9 shooting. Maizen Fausett highlighted the night for the T-Birds, putting up 20 points and cementing his name in the Southern Utah record books by reaching the 1,000 point scoring mark for his career.

Notable Stats

• Maizen Fausett joined Southern Utah's 1,000 point scoring club on Monday night with a 20-point outing.

• Tevian Jones has scored in double figures in 13 straight games, and 20 out of 24 contests this season.

• John Knight III leads the Big Sky in both field goal percentage (53.3%) and steals per game (2.1).

• As a team, Southern Utah is 2nd in the conference in team FG percentage, shooting 48.1% throughout Big Sky play.

Follow Us

For all the latest on Southern Utah men's basketball, follow @SUUBasketball on Twitter and Instagram, and like the Southern Utah Basketball Facebook page.