OGDEN, Utah - Harrison Butler had a double-double, scoring 17 points and pulling down 10 rebounds, while Aanen Moody added 16 points. Both players hit multiple clutch shots down the stretch, and the Southern Utah University men's basketball team outlasted Weber State, 80-70.

John Knight III scored 17 points of his own while dishing out four assists, and the Thunderbirds (20-10, 14-6) secured their second consecutive 20-win season while earning a second-place finish in the Big Sky standings. 

Weber State fell to 20-11 overall and 13-7 in conference play for the season, winding up with the fourth seed in the Big Sky tournament.

The two teams got off to a slow start offensively, combining to score just 19 points over the first 7:30 of play. That same stretch of time included four ties and five lead changes. 

A Maizen Fausett layup sprang an 8-0 T-Bird run, creating the first separation of the game as the Thunderbirds took a six-point lead, forcing Weber State to call a timeout. The Wildcats came out of the timeout and immediately reeled off an 8-0 run of their own to take a 16-14 lead at the 10:46 mark.

The back-and-forth action continued for the remainder of the first half. Southern Utah was able to take a five-point lead with 2:09 to go until the break, but the Wildcats responded with another 8-0 run to regain the advantage. On the final play of the half, Knight III scored a tough basket in the paint to cut the Weber State lead to 33-32 going into the break. 

After shooting just 43.3 percent from the field (13-30) and 27.3 percent from three (3-11) in the first 20 minutes of play, the T-Birds came out firing on offense to start the second period. SUU used the following seven and a half minutes to turn a one-point deficit into an eight-point lead after Moody drilled a three-pointer and forced Weber State to take a timeout with 12:30 remaining in the game.

The Wildcats scored three straight layups out of the timeout, cutting the SUU lead down to just two. 

Weber was able to tie the game at 55 with just seven minutes left; however, Butler scored back-to-back baskets to regain the lead for the T-Birds and kill the Weber State momentum.

The Wildcats refused to give up, but every time the Thunderbirds were in danger, Butler or Moody came through with a huge bucket. With SUU holding onto a 67-60 lead, the duo drilled three-pointers on consecutive possessions, sinking the dagger into Weber State's hope for a comeback. 

Southern Utah knocked down 7-9 from the free-throw line down the stretch to put the Wildcats away and finish the regular season on a two-game win streak heading into the conference tournament.

Notable Stats:

• Southern Utah outrebounded Weber State, 36-27, including a +6 advantage in offensive rebounds.

• The T-Birds were playing without starters Tevian Jones and Dre Marin.

• SUU took 22 free throws, knocking down 15. 

• The Thunderbirds shot 55.6 percent from the field in the second half.

• Southern Utah received 16 more points of production than Weber State off the bench.

• Jason Spurgin was a perfect 4-4 from the field and 3-3 from the free-throw line.

• Nick Fleming and Aanen Moody never exited the game, logging 40 minutes of time on the court.

• All seven Thunderbirds that saw action tonight got on the scoreboard. 

• Since the beginning of the 2020-21 season, the T-Birds are 26-8 in the Big Sky and 40-14 overall.

Up Next

Southern Utah secured a first-round bye for the Big Sky tournament and will play their first game in the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 10 at 5:30 p.m. MT. The T-Birds will face the winner of the 7 vs 10 matchup, which will likely be Portland State vs Idaho State.

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