MISSOULA, Mont. – Tevian Jones scored a team-high 23 points and Jason Spurgin went a perfect 4-of-4 from both the field and free-throw line, but it was not enough as the Southern Utah University men's basketball team fell to Montana, 78-67, Monday night.

The defeat dropped Southern Utah to 15-7 for the season and 9-3 in the Big Sky Conference. Montana improved its record to 16-8 overall and 9-4 in league play.

Despite the loss, Southern Utah outrebounded the Grizzlies 36-33, but that was about the only statistical category the Thunderbirds claimed victory in. Montana outshot the T-Birds 45-39 percent and took better care of the ball with nine turnovers to SUU's 12. The Grizzlies also won the battles in bench points, points in the paint and fast break points. Montana also led for 31:09 of 40 minutes.

In addition to Jones' 23 and Spurgin's 13, SUU got 11 points from Maizen Fausett and nine from John Knight III. Fausett led the team's rebounding efforts with six for the night, and Knight distributed the ball well for Southern Utah with five assists.

After the Grizzlies led for nearly the entirety of the first half, Southern Utah appeared to be seizing momentum when a 3-pointer from Spurgin gave the T-Birds their first lead of the night. The SUU advantage did not last long, though, as Montana connected on a 3-pointer with 25 seconds left until halftime to go into the locker room up one.

Both teams traded baskets to open the second half, and Southern Utah claimed its largest lead of the night at the 15:50 mark behind two Spurgin free throws. Montana quickly answered with a three and a pair of free throws, and the Thunderbirds would never lead again.

The Thunderbirds now make the trip out west to California where they will challenge Sacramento State on Saturday, February 12. Tip-off is at 2:00 p.m. MT with a live stream available on ESPN+.

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