Thunderbirds Get Revenge On Idaho State With Close Win
Feb 9, 2019, 4:01 PM | Updated: 4:55 pm
Courtesy of SUU Athletics
CEDAR CITY, Utah – Southern Utah extended its conference winning streak to three with a 78-72 victory over Idaho State.
The Thunderbirds were coming off an impressive 65-53 victory over Weber State on Thursday. However, the Bengals most likely entered the game with plenty of confidence after having beaten SUU by 20 points in an 88-68 drubbing on Jan. 3.
No Cats Allowed 🙅♂️ pic.twitter.com/2tWxrO76ka
— SUU Men's Basketball (@SUUBasketball) February 9, 2019
T-Birds Clamp Down In Second Half
Both teams played an even first half. Both the Bengals and the Thunderbirds made 50 percent of their field goals from beyond the arc and had an equal amount of rebounds with 17 each.
Dre Marin’s buzzer-beating layup tied the game up at 42-all at the halftime break.
Andre Adams started the game hot, making six of his first eight shots for 12 points in the first half.
The Bengals grabbed an early lead in the second half, but SUU responded with a quick 10-0 run while holding Idaho State without a score for nearly seven minutes. In that stretch, the Bengals missed 10 straight shots.
And @RealBigThunder is in the building 🙌 pic.twitter.com/2cADDhAQ2D
— SUU Men's Basketball (@SUUBasketball) February 9, 2019
Finally, the lid came off the basket for the Bengals with a pair of made free throws by Balint Mocsan. That was followed by a made jumper by Brandon Boyd and after a couple more shots, the game was tied at 63-all with five minutes remaining.
The Thunderbirds buckled down coming down the wire, connecting on five of their last seven shots to come away with the victory.
Key Stats
Four SUU players finished in double-figures, led by Adams, who had 16 points and completed the double-double with 10 rebounds.
As a team, the Thunderbirds made 50 percent of their shots on the floor and drained 9-of-24 attempts from beyond the arc.
Right before the horn! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/TkH6dpwI8A
— SUU Men's Basketball (@SUUBasketball) February 9, 2019
Next Up
SUU will hit the road to face Sacramento State on Thursday at 8:05 p.m.
The Thunderbirds previously defeated the Hornets 76-71 at home on Jan. 19.
