CEDAR CITY, Utah – The Southern Utah Thunderbirds used their stifling defense to take down Montana State with a 59-53 win at America First Event Center.

In a low-scoring affair, Southern Utah was led by Maizen Fausett with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks. John Knight III and Harrison Butler each scored 12 points as the only three players to reach double figures in scoring.

Their defense held Montana State to just 16-59 shooting from the floor for 27 percent, 4-20 for 20 percent from beyond the arc and the Bobcats made 17-24 from the free throw line.

Thunderbirds Knock Off Bobcats Despite Slow First Half

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— SUU Men's Basketball (@SUUBasketball) January 5, 2020

Southern Utah shot 32 percent from the field, 3-22 for 13 percent from downtown and went 20-25 from the charity stripe. They had 8 blocks, 5 steals and 30 defensive rebounds. The Thunderbirds had a big lift from their bench with the 12 points by Butler, 8 points from Dwayne Morgan and 5 from Jakolby Long as the second unit outscored Montana State 25-9.

Montana State was led by Harald Frey with 14 points on just 3-11 shooting in 40 minutes of play. Amin Adamu had 12 points and 9 rebounds, while Ladan Ricketts added 10 points.

Southern Utah improved their record to 9-5 overall and 2-1 in Big Sky Conference play. They will next be in action on Thursday when they square off with Idaho State in Pocatello. The game will begin at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on Pluto TV.