SUU Rolls Past Portland State On Big Start, Big Finish
Jan 17, 2019, 8:52 PM | Updated: 11:51 pm
CEDAR CITY, Utah – Southern Utah started and ended the game with strong play and that made the difference in an 83-59 victory over Portland State.
The Thunderbirds burst out to an 11-2 lead to open the game. Portland State, however, caught SUU at 21-all thanks to a 19-10 run fueled by a team effort offensively. SUU endured the storm and took a slim 36-33 advantage into the halftime break.
At halftime, SUU’s Andre Adams already had 12 points on 4-for-5 shooting.
All good down in Whoville 🙌 pic.twitter.com/9zwEuvp1wx
— SUU Men’s Basketball (@SUUBasketball) January 18, 2019
SUU maintained its slim lead through the first half of the second half, until the Thunderbirds were hit with two technical fouls at the 9:57 mark, allowing Portland State to take and make four free throws to overtake SUU at 57-53.
The Thunderbirds retook the lead on an 8-0 run sparked by a 3-pointer by Cam Oluyitan to make it 63-57. From there, the Thunderbirds rolled, going on a 20-5 run to end the game and secure their second conference win of the season.
GOODNIGHT PORTLAND ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/CsyFdH0uwr
— SUU Men’s Basketball (@SUUBasketball) January 18, 2019
By The Numbers
Five SUU players ended up in double-figure scoring. Oluyitan led the way with 18 points. Jacob Callaway chipped in 16. Adams finished with 14 while Brandon Better turned in 14 and Harrison Butler had 11 off the bench.
C
A
M
👌 pic.twitter.com/fGP34KjPWx— SUU Men’s Basketball (@SUUBasketball) January 18, 2019
The Thunderbirds shot well from the floor, converting on 56 percent of their shots.
Secret Weapon?
The SUU student section employed the use of a student with a large painted lightning bolt on his stomach to try to distract Portland State’s shooters. It didn’t seem to make a difference as the Vikings shot 80.6 percent from the line.
tonight in Things I Saw Because I Bet On Low-Major College Basketball pic.twitter.com/9SLvCfYOvq
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) January 18, 2019
Next Up
SUU will continue Big Sky Conference play with a home contest against Sacramento State on Saturday before starting four-game road trip starting with a visit to face Northern Colorado next Thursday.
