CEDAR CITY, Utah. The Southern Utah men's basketball team heads to Las Vegas, Nev., next week to compete in the 2023 Hercules Tires Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Basketball Tournament that will take place on March 7-11 in Las Vegas.
GAME INFO
Game 8
Southern Utah vs. Stephen F. Austin/Utah Tech
Date: Thursday, March 9
Tipoff: 9 p.m. MT
Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner
Date: Friday, March 10
Tipoff: 9 p.m. MT
Championship Game
Date: Saturday, March 11
Tipoff: 9:30 p.m. MT
WAC Standings
In its inaugural season in the Western Athletics Conference, the Southern Utah men's basketball team has earned the third seed for next week's 2023 Hercules Tires Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Basketball Tournament that will take place on March 7-11 in Las Vegas.
With a top-four seed placement, Southern Utah earned a first-round bye. This, after having been picked to finish ninth in the preseason. Southern Utah will face off against the winner of the Stephen F. Austin and Utah Tech game as the nightcap on Thursday at 8 p.m. PT.
2022-23 WAC MBB Resume Seeding System (FINAL)
Rank Team W L CW CL WACPts
1. Sam Houston 24 6 14 4 6.977
2. Utah Valley 24 7 15 3 6.964
3. Southern Utah 20 11 12 6 3.148
4. Seattle U 20 11 11 7 3.102
5. Grand Canyon 20 11 11 7 2.771
6. Stephen F. Austin 19 12 11 7 1.131
7. Tarleton 16 15 9 9 -0.069
8. California Baptist 16 15 8 10 -1.980
9. Abilene Christian 13 16 7 11 -2.538
10. UTRGV 15 16 6 12 -3.163
11. Utah Tech 13 18 5 13 -3.519
12. UT Arlington 11 20 6 12 -5.067
13. NM State DQ
WAC Tournament Schedule
2023 Hercules Tires WAC Basketball Tournament – Men's Seeds And Schedule
TUESDAY, MARCH 7, MICHELOB ULTRA ARENA, LAS VEGAS – MEN'S FIRST ROUND
No. 8 California Baptist vs. No. 9 Abilene Christian – noon PT (ESPN+)
No. 5 Grand Canyon vs. No. 12 UT Arlington – 2 p.m. PT (ESPN+)
No. 7 Tarleton vs. No. 10 UTRGV – 6 p.m. PT (ESPN+)
No. 6 Stephen F. Austin vs. No. 11 Utah Tech – 8 p.m. PT (ESPN+)
THURSDAY, MARCH 9, ORLEANS ARENA, LAS VEGAS – MEN'S QUARTERFINALS
No. 1 Sam Houston vs. Game 1 Winner – noon PT (ESPN+)
No. 4 Seattle U vs. Game 2 Winner – 2 p.m. PT (ESPN+)
No. 2 Utah Valley vs. Game 3 Winner – 6 p.m. PT (ESPN+)
No. 3 Southern Utah vs. Game 4 Winner – 8 p.m. PT (ESPN+)
FRIDAY, MARCH 10, ORLEANS ARENA, LAS VEGAS – MEN'S SEMIFINALS
Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner – 6 p.m. PT (ESPN+)
Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner – 8 p.m. PT (ESPN+)
SATURDAY, MARCH 11, ORLEANS ARENA, LAS VEGAS – MEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP
Game 9 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner – 8:30 p.m. PT (ESPN2)
PREVIEW
SOUTHERN UTAH (20-11, 12-6 WAC)
20-Win Seasons
Southern Utah head coach Todd Simon now owns a trio of 20-win seasons at the helm of the Thunderbirds. Along with the 20-11 mark this season, SUU went 20-4 in 2020-21 and 23-12 a year ago. The effort matched the school record set by Stan Jack for the most 20-win seasons (3) as head coach at Southern Utah. Additionally, both accomplished the feat in back-to-back-to-back seasons.
SUU 20-Win Seasons
Year, Coach, Record
1976-77, Stan Jack, 21-7
1977-78, Stan Jack, 20-8
1978-79, Stan Jack, 20-6
1986-87, Bob Schermerhorn, 21-6
1991-92, Neil Roberts/Bill Evans, 20-8
2000-01, Bill Evans, 25-6
2020-21, Todd Simon, 20-4
2021-22, Todd Simon, 23-12
2022-23, Todd Simon, 20-11
Conference Success
With a 12-6 record in the Western Athletic Conference this year, Southern Utah has now put together three consecutive 10+ win conference seasons under head coach Todd Simon.
Bill Evans is the only previous head coach to accomplish double-digit conference success with back-to-back 10+ win seasons while playing as part of the Mid-Continent Conference in 1999-00 and 2000-01.
10+ Win Conference Seasons Under Todd Simon
12-6, 2022-23 (Western Athletic Conference)
14-6, 2021-22 (Big Sky)
12-2, 2020-21 (Big Sky)
Previous 10+ Win Conference Seasons
13-3, 2000-01 (Mid-Continent, NCAA Tournament Appearance)
10-6, 1999-00 (Mid-Continent)
The Simon Touch
The Midas Touch is defined as someone who turns everything they touch into gold. The Simon Touch is defined as someone who turns programs into sustained winners. Todd Simon is closing in on a 45-year-old Southern Utah Coaching record. The most wins through the first seven seasons at the helm.
Stan Jack, who compiled a 145-90 record during the course of nine seasons for the Thunderbirds from 1971-1980, won 120 games during his first seven campaigns at the helm of Southern Utah.
Simon stands just four wins behind tying that effort.
In fact, Simon's success is even more remarkable when compared to the journey of other coaches that have been with the program.
After starting with the least wins by a new coach at SUU as part of a full program rebuild, Simon has progressively moved up the charts into being one of the most successful ever to don the title of head coach for the Southern Utah men's basketball team (the most successful if you only consider the NCAA Division I era!).
Wins In First Season
Neil Roberts, 16 wins, 1987-88
Bill Evans, 14 wins, 1992-93
Tom McCracken, 14 wins, 1980-81
Bob Schermerhorn, 13 wins, 1983-84
Stan Jack, 11 wins, 1971-72
Roger Reed, 11 wins, 2007-08
Nick Robinson, 11 wins, 2012-13
Boyd Adams, 8 wins, 1963-64
Todd Simon, 6 wins, 2016-17
Wins Through First 2 Seasons
Tom McCracken, 32 wins, 1980-82
Bill Evans, 30 wins, 1992-94
Bob Schermerhorn, 30 wins, 1983-85
Stan Jack, 27 wins, 1971-73
Neil Roberts, 26 wins, 1987-89
Roger Reed, 22 wins, 2007-09
Boyd Adams, 20 wins, 1963-65
Todd Simon, 19 wins, 2017-18
Nick Robinson, 13 wins, 2012-14
Wins Through First 3 Seasons
Tom McCracken, 51 wins, 1980-83
Bill Evans, 47 wins, 1992-95
Bob Schermerhorn, 46 wins, 1983-86
Stan Jack, 45 wins, 1971-74
Neil Roberts, 40 wins, 1987-90
Todd Simon, 36 wins, 2016-19
Boyd Adams, 30 wins, 1963-66
Roger Reed, 29 wins, 2007-10
Nick Robinson, 23 wins, 2012-15
Wins Through First 4 Seasons
Bob Schermerhorn, 67 wins, 1983-87
Bill Evans, 62 wins, 1992-96
Stan Jack, 60 wins, 1971-75
Neil Roberts, 56 wins, 1987-91
Todd Simon, 53 wins, 2016-20
Roger Reed, 40 wins, 2007-11
Boyd Adams, 39 wins, 1963-67
Nick Robinson, 29 wins, 2012-16
Wins Through First 5 Seasons
Stan Jack, 79 wins, 1971-76
Todd Simon, 73 wins, 2016-21
Bill Evans, 71 wins, 1992-97
Neil Roberts, 70 wins, 1987-92
Roger Reed, 54 wins, 2007-12
Boyd Adams, 49 wins, 1963-68
Wins Through First 6 Seasons
Stan Jack, 100 wins, 1971-77
Todd Simon, 96 wins, 2016-22
Bill Evans, 78 wins, 1992-98
Boyd Adams, 65 wins, 1963-69
Wins Through First 7 Seasons
Stan Jack, 120 wins, 1971-78
Todd Simon, 116 wins, 2016-Present
Bill Evans, 91 wins, 1992-99
Boyd Adams, 76 wins, 1963-70
National Rankings!
Southern Utah ranks amongst the elite in the country in several statistical categories.
Points Per Game - Team
1, Gonzaga, 88.0
2, Toledo, 85.7
3, Oral Roberts, 84.1
4, Alabama, 83.6
5, Arizona, 83.5
7, Southern Utah, 83.0
Rebounds Per Game - Team
1, Alabama, 44.30
24, Southern Utah, 38.65
Defensive Rebounds Per Game - Team
1, Alabama, 31.80
12, Southern Utah, 28.00
Fast Break Points - Team
1, TCU, 19.27
27, Southern Utah, 13.13
Scoring Margin - Team
1, Houston, 20
32, Southern Utah, 9
NCAA Men's Basketball NET Rankings
The NET Rankings include more components than just winning percentage. They take into account game results, strength of schedule, game location, scoring margin, net offensive, and defensive efficiency, and the quality of wins and losses.
WAC NET Rankings
Current, Team, Previous, SUU Win/Loss
58, Sam Houston, 61, WL
73, Utah Valley, 82, WL
105, Southern Utah, 107
122, Grand Canyon, 128, L
135, Stephen F. Austin, 125, W
143, Seattle, 145, L
161, Tarleton State, 164, LW
164, Utah Tech, 160, LW
172, California Baptist, 170, WW
187, New Mexico State, 188, WW
205, Abilene Christian, 204
257, UT Arlington, 246, W
262, UTRGV, 261, W
T-Bird Tidbits
Southern Utah boasts a margin of victory of 9.5 points per game. Overall, SUU scores 83.0 points per contest, while opponents score just 73.5 points per event.
The T-Birds shoot 47.0 percent from the field, 35.0 percent from three-point range, and 73.2 percent from the free-throw line.
Additionally, Southern Utah averages 38.6 rebounds, 13.0 assists, 7.6 steals, and 3.3 blocks per game.
Individual Leaders
Four Thunderbirds average double-figure scoring with senior Tevian Jones on top with 17.8 points a contest.
Senior forward Maizen Fausett (12.5), sophomore guard Drake Allen (11.2) and senior guard Harrison Butler (11.1) also score in double digits. Sophomore center Jason Spurgin stands just outside double figures with 9.7 points per game.
Butler (6.8) and Fausett (6.6) lead the way in rebounds with Spurgin a close third with 5.5 boards a game.
Allen paces the team with 3.5 assists a game, while Spurgin averages 1.6 blocks a contest.
Career-Scoring Charts
Senior forward Maizen Fausett became just the third member of the 1500-point club in school history with 12 points. That pushed his career tally to 1,507. He stands behind only Davor Marcelic's amazing school record of 1,710 from 1989-92 and NCAA Tournament team leader Jeff Monaco's 1,568 from 1997-2001.
Senior guard Harrison Butler scored 11 points as he became just the fifth player to join the 1400-point club in school history with 1,403 in his career.
Points
1,710; Davor Marcelic (1989-1992)
1,568; Jeff Monaco (1997-2001)
1,507; Maizen Fausett (ACTIVE)
1,434; Dre Marin (2017-2022)
1,403; Harrison Butler (ACTIVE)
1,350; Tevian Jones (ACTIVE) (1,447 overall)
1,300; James McGee (2014-2018)
1,297; Richard Barton (1989-1993)
1,273; Jackson Stevenett (2010-2013)
1,223; John Knight III (2019-2022)
1,205; Davis Baker (2007-2010)
Spurgin Single-Season Stats Tracker
Sophomore center Jason Spurgin has just the sixth 40-plus block season in Thunderbird history as he currently has 49 to his credit. He also currently stands third in SUU's single-season field goal percentage charts with a 60.5-percent clip from the field thanks to a 118-195 effort thus far.
Blocks
64 Matt Hodgson (2009-2010)
60 Jayson Cheesman (2012-2013)
60 Sean Allen (1994-1995)
53 Sean Allen (1993-1994)
49 Jason Spurgin (2022-2023)
48 Kenyatta Clyde (1998-1999)
39 Kenyatta Clyde (1997-1998)
FG % 150 Attempts min.
0.624 John Clifford (2008-2009)
0.613 Casey Oliverson (2014-2015)
0.605 Jason Spurgin (2022-2023)
0.603 Scott Brown (1978-1979)
0.584 Butch Douglas (1978-1979)
0.579 March Wilson (1978-1979)
0.577 Scott Brown (1977-1978)
0.575 Andre Adams (2018-19)
0.575 Dana Achtzehn (1991-1992)
0.574 Dean O'Driscoll (1980-1981)
0.573 Monte Middison (1977-1978)
0.571 Drian Devincenzi (1982-1983)
0.570 John Knight III (2020-2021)
Non-Conference Success!
Southern Utah had an amazing non-conference slate, ranking in the top 10 in the nation in multiple categories as well as posting a school-record sixth-straight winning non-conference schedule.
For more on that, let's hear from head coach Todd Simon!
POST-SEASON CONFERENCE HISTORY
Conference Tournament Coaching Records
Todd Simon stands just three wins behind Bill Evans for the most conference tournament wins, 10-7). Additionally, the Thunderbirds finished in the top three in their conference in back-to-back-to-back years for the first time with first and second-place finishes to close out their time in the Big Sky and a third-place finish this year.
Coach, Conference Tournament Record
Bill Evans: 10-9
Todd Simon: 7-5
Roger Reid: 2-4
Nick Robinson: 0-2
Conference Tournament Efforts By Coach
BILL EVANS (10-9)
Regular-Season Titles: 1 1994-95, American West
Conference Tournament Titles: 3, 1994-95, American West; 1995-96, American West; 2000-01, Mid-Continent
NCAA Tournament Bids: 1
1994-95
Conference: American West
Regular Season: 1st, 8-0
Tournament
March 10, Southern Utah 93, Cal Poly, 63, Semifinal
March 11, Southern Utah 83, Cal State Northridge 82, Final
1995-96
Conference: American West
Regular Season: 2nd, 3-3
Tournament
March 1, Southern Utah 57, Cal State Northridge 54, Semifinal
March 2, Southern Utah 55, Cal Poly, 53, Final
1997-98
Conference: Mid-Continent
Regular Season: 7th, 4-12
Tournament
March 1, Oral Roberts 94, Southern Utah 84, Quarterfinal
1998-99
Conference: Mid-Continent
Regular Season: 5th, 6-8
Tournament
February 28, Youngstown State 78, Southern Utah 56, Quarterfinal
1999-00
Conference: Mid-Continent
Regular Season: 3rd, 10-6
Tournament
March 5, Southern Utah 78, Western Illinois 68, Quarterfinal
March 6, Southern Utah 72, UMKC 54, Semifinal
March 7, Valparaiso 71, Southern Utah 62, Final
2000-01
Conference: Mid-Continent
Regular Season: 2nd, 13-3
Tournament
March 4, Southern Utah 66, Western Illinois 53, Quarterfinal
March 5, Southern Utah 73, Oral Roberts, 62, Semifinal
March 6, Southern Utah 62, Valparaiso 59, Final
NCAA Tournament
Boston College 68, Southern Utah 65
2001-02
Conference: Mid-Continent
Regular Season: 4th, 8-6
Tournament
March 3, UMKC 70, Southern Utah 57, Quarterfinal
2002-03
Conference: Mid-Continent
Regular Season: 6th, 5-9
Tournament
March 9, Southern Utah 66, Oakland, 55, Quarterfinal
March 10, IUPUI 72, Southern Utah 67, Semifinal
2003-04
Conference: Mid-Continent
Regular Season: 7th, 6-10
Tournament
March 7, IUPUI 74, Southern Utah 60, Quarterfinal
2004-05
Conference: Mid-Continent
Regular Season: 8th, 6-10
Tournament
March 5, Oral Roberts 82, Southern Utah 59, Quarterfinal
2005-06
Conference: Mid-Continent
Regular Season: 5th, 8-8
Tournament
March 5, Valparaiso 77, Southern Utah 66, Quarterfinal
2006-07
Conference: Mid-Continent
Regular Season: 5th, 6-8
Tournament
March 4, IUPUI 71, Southern Utah 59, Quarterfinal
ROGER REID (2-4)
2007-08
Conference: Summit
Regular Season: 5th, 9-9
Tournament
March 9, IPFW 66, Southern Utah 62, Quarterfinal
2008-09
Conference: Summit
Regular Season: 5th, 8-10
Tournament
March 8, Southern Utah 73, IUPUI 48, Quarterfinal
March 9, North Dakota State 79, Southern Utah 67, Semifinal
2009-10
Conference: Summit
Regular Season: 9th, 3-15
No Tournament
2010-11
Conference: Summit
Regular Season: 8th, 7-11
Tournament
March 5, Oakland 82, Southern Utah 66, Quarterfinal
2011-12
Conference: Summit
Regular Season: 6th, 8-10
Tournament
March 4, Southern Utah 84, Oakland 82, Quarterfinal
March 5, South Dakota State 63, Southern Utah 47, Semifinal
NICK ROBINSON (0-2)
2012-13
Conference: Big Sky
Regular Season: 6th, 8-12
Tournament
March 14, North Dakota 69, Southern Utah 52, Quarterfinal
2013-14
Conference: Big Sky
Regular Season: 11th, 1-19
No Tournament
2014-15
Conference: Big Sky
Regular Season: 9th, 7-11
No Tournament
2015-16
Conference: Big Sky
Regular Season: 11th, 3-15
Tournament
March 87, North Dakota 85, Southern Utah 80, First Round
TODD SIMON (7-5)
Regular-Season Titles: 1, 2020-21, Big Sky
The Basketball Classic Bid: 1
2016-17
Conference: Big Sky
Regular Season: 11th, 3-15
Tournament
March 7, Southern Utah 109, Montana State 105, First Round
March 9, Weber State 90, Southern Utah 70, Quarterfinal
2017-18
Conference: Big Sky
Regular Season: 10th, 5-13
Tournament
March 6, Southern Utah 76, Idaho State 68, First Round
March 8, Southern Utah 92, Idaho 78, Quarterfinal
March 9, Eastern Washington 82, Southern Utah 70, Semifinal
2018-19
Conference: Big Sky
Regular Season: 7th, 9-11
Tournament
March 13, Southern Utah 94, Idaho State 80, First Round
March 14, Southern Utah 83, Northern Colorado 64, Quarterfinal
March 15, Eastern Washington 77, Southern Utah 61, Semifinal
2019-20
Conference: Big Sky
Regular Season: 7th, 9-11
Tournament
March 11, Southern Utah 75, Idaho 69, First Round
Canceled due to COVID
2020-21
Conference: Big Sky
Regular Season: 1st, 12-2
Tournament
March 11, Southern Utah 91, Northern Colorado 83, Quarterfinal
March 12, Montana State 80, Southern Utah 77, Semifinal
2021-22
Conference: Big Sky
Regular Season: 2nd, 14-6
Tournament
March 10, Portland State 77, Southern Utah 65, Quarterfinal
The Basketball Classic:
March 16, Southern Utah 83, Kent State 79, First Round
March 22, Southern Utah 82, UTEP 69, Second Round
March 26, Southern Utah 77, Portland 66, Quarterfinals
March 28, Fresno State 67, Southern Utah 48, Semifinals
2022-23
Conference: Western Athletic
Regular Season:3rd, 12-6
LAST TIME OUT
CEDAR CITY, Utah. The Southern Utah men's basketball team closed out the regular season in dominant fashion with an 81-71 conquest of the Cal Baptist Lancers in the final home game at the America First Event Center on Friday, March 3.
SUU's record improved to 20-11 and 12-6 in the Western Athletic Conference, while CBU fell to 16-15 and 8-10 in WAC play.
20-Win Seasons
Southern Utah head coach Todd Simon now owns a trio of 20-win seasons at the helm of the Thunderbirds. Along with the 20-11 mark this season, SUU went 20-4 in 2020-21 and 23-12 a year ago. The effort matched the school record set by Stan Jack for the most 20-win seasons (3) as head coach at Southern Utah. Additionally, both accomplished the feat in back-to-back-to-back seasons.
Career-Scoring Charts
Senior forward Maizen Fausett became just the third member of the 1500-point club in school history with 12 points. That pushed his career tally to 1,507. He stands behind only Davor Marcelic's amazing school record of 1,710 from 1989-92 and NCAA Tournament team leader Jeff Monaco's 1,568 from 1997-2001.
Senior guard Harrison Butler scored 11 points as he became just the fifth player to join the 1400-point club in school history with 1,403 in his career.
T-Bird Tidbits
- If not for Simon and Fausett's historic evenings, sophomore center Jason Spurgin would have drawn top billing with a season-high 20 points to go with two blocks. The two swats moved him into sole possession of fifth place on the single-season blocks charts with 49 this year, leapfrogging Kenyatta Clyde's 48 set in 1998-99. Spurgin is just one more block from joining the 50-swat club.
- Sophomore guard Drake Allen joined four total double-digit scorers with 15 points and eight assists.
- Butler led the way for SUU with eight rebounds.
- The key to the game came down to SUU outshooting CBU, 53.7 to 42.1 from the field. The teams scored an identical amount of threes (8) and free throws (15), but Southern Utah drained five more from the field (29-24).
- Southern Utah closed the season with a 13-2 record in the America First Event Center.
First Half
Jason Spurgin started the night off quickly with a layup in the paint to put the 'Birds up 2-0 with 19:41 to go. Harrison Butler followed with a trifecta to push the lead to 5-0 at the 19:11 mark. Spurgin pushed the initial run to 7-0 with another layup with 17:58 to play.
Following a three-pointer to get Cal Baptist on the board, Maizen Fausett took a Drake Allen assist to the hole for two, taking a 9-3 advantage with 17:19 on the clock.
The Lancers turned in a quick 5-0 burst to pull to within a point before Fausett canned a pair from the charity stripe after drawing a foul with an aggressive drive through the lane as SUU took an 11-8 advantage with 15:01 on the clock.
Cameron Healy tacked on a corner trifecta thanks to a bullet pass from Butler to take a 14-8 lead with 14:12 to go. CBU, however, countered with an old-fashioned three to pull to within 14-11 at 13:51.
After forcing a traveling turnover, Dee Barnes unfurled a triple to push the 'Birds ahead 17-11 with 12:48 on the clock. Allen followed by hammering home a dunk to grab a 19-11 lead with 12:23 to go, inducing a Cal Baptist timeout.
The Lancers came out of the break on fire with a 5-0 spurt, but Fausett put a quick end to it with a trifecta to put SUU back up 22-16 with 10:50 on the clock. That was Fausett's seventh point pushing him into the 1,500-point club. The Lancers answered with a three of their own before Barnes drained a trifecta of his own to take a 25-19 lead for SUU at 10:10.
After another three from Cal Baptist, Spurgin flushed a layup to take a 27-22 advantage with 9:32 to play. Butler spun his way to a layup to snare a 29-22 lead with 6:26 on the clock.
The Lancers turned in a quick 4-0 run to close to within three points before Allen scored a nifty layup as the 'Birds took a 31-26 lead at the 4:50 mark. After a Spurgin block moved his season swat tally to 48, Butler drained a pair at the line as SUU extended its lead to 33-26. Spurgin tied Kenyatta Clyde's 48 blocks from 1998-99 for the fifth-most blocks in a season.
After CBU split at the free-throw line, Spurgin sank a soft-touch jumper at 3:33 to take a 35-27 lead. The Lancers responded with an old-fashioned three-point play before Spurgin crushed a dunk to stretch the lead back to 37-30 with 2:55 on the clock. Tevian Jones joined the scoring party with two at the charity stripe as the 'Birds pushed the advantage to 39-30 at 2:33.
A 4-0 run from CBU pulled the Lancers to within five before Spurgin sank a layup followed by a free throw as Southern Utah led 42-34 with 1:25 to go. Cal Baptist answered with a triple before Fausett slashed his way to two for a 44-37 advantage with 43 seconds on the clock. CBU closed the half with a layup as Southern Utah led 44-39 heading into the half.
Second Half
The Lancers opened with a layup before Drake Allen unleashed a dunk to snatch a 46-41 advantage with 19:42 to go. After another CBU layup, Tevian Jones responded with one of his own for a 48-43 lead with 19:01 on the clock. CBU banked a jumper then Maizen Fausett popped a three-pointer en route to a 51-45 lead for SUU with 17:29 to go. Jason Spurgin stretched the run to 5-0 with an old-fashioned three-point play for a 54-45 lead at 16:58.
After a Cal Baptist triple, Harrison Butler flipped in a layup for a 56-48 advantage with 16:20 on the clock. After a scoreless minute for both squads, Butler drove the lane to draw a foul. He drilled both free throws to extend the lead to 58-48 with 15:12 to go.
Following a CBU layup, Jones went 3-for-3 at the charity stripe to stretch the lead to 61-50 with 14:05 on the clock. Allen banked in a layup to snare a 63-50 lead for the 'Birds with 13:16 to play. Parsa Fallah added to the scoring with a layup as SUU pushed the lead to 65-50 with 12:09 to go.
With CBU connecting on a layup, Cameron Healy uncorked a trey as the 'Birds snatched a 68-52 lead at 11:25. The Lancers sank a triple before Jones notched a pair at the line to increase SUU's lead back to 70-55 with 9:21 on the clock. Spurgin flushed a dunk en route to a 72-55 lead with 8:41 on the clock to force a CBU timeout.
Cal Baptist went on a quick 4-0 run out of the break before Allen converted a layup to snare a 74-59 lead with 7:34 on the clock. Spurgin cleared 20 points after a block with a dunk to take a 76-59 advantage with 7:14 to go. After a CBU layup, Allen returned fire with a layup of his own as Southern Utah improved its lead to 78-61 with 5:50 on the clock.
The Lancers responded with a layup before Allen nailed a trifecta as the 'Birds took an 81-63 advantage with 3:37 to play.
With SUU working to drain the clock as well as sub out the seniors one at a time for curtain calls down the stretch, the Thunderbirds managed to win 81-71
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