Southern Utah Gets Past Northern Arizona In Overtime At Home
Dec 17, 2022, 3:53 PM
(Courtesy of Southern Utah Athletics)
CEDAR CITY, Utah – The Southern Utah men’s basketball team needed overtime but was able to knock off Northern Arizona at home 106-101 at home on Saturday.
After Northern Arizona outscored Southern Utah 41-40 in the first half, the Thunderbirds returned the favor by outscoring the Lumberjacks 52-51 in the second half. SUU dropped 14 points in overtime and held NAU to nine points.
With six seconds left in the second half, Tevian Jones hit a free throw to give Southern Utah a 92-90 lead. NAU made a layup with three seconds left to send the game to overtime.
Took care of business š#TBirdNation pic.twitter.com/ght0TF1rAc
— SUU Men's Basketball (@SUUBasketball) December 17, 2022
How Southern Utah Beat Northern Arizona In Overtime
NAU scored first in the extra period, followed by a dunk by Southern Utah to tie the game. With 2:55 remaining in overtime, Northern Arizona held a 99-95 lead. Drake Allen trimmed the deficit to 99-97 on a layup with 2:23 left. The Lumberjacks hit a pair of free throws to extend their lead to 101-97. Southern Utah then made three free throws to put the Thunderbirds within one.
With 46 seconds left in overtime, Allen made a layup to put SUU up 102-101. After missed shots by NAU, Southern Utah knocked down their free throws to pick up the win.
Four Southern Utah players scored in double figures led by Tevian Jones with 31 points. Harrison Butler dropped 23 points and nine rebounds. Allen finished with 22 points and five boards. Jason Spurgin added 11 points and six rebounds. SUU shot 50% from the field, 27% from the three-point line, and 82% at the free-throw line.
For NAU, Jalen Cone led the way with 45 points on 18-of-27 shooting from the field and 6-for-11 at the three-point line. The Lumberjacks shot 48% from the floor, 31% from beyond the arc, and 62% at the foul line.
Southern Utah improved its record to 8-4 on the season, including wins in their last four games against Idaho State, West Coast Baptist College, and Cal State Fullerton. They will wrap up their non-conference schedule on the road against Colorado on Wednesday, December 21 at 5:00 p.m. MT on the Pac-12 Network.