Thunderbirds Knock Off Northern Colorado Thanks To Strong Shooting Performance

BOISE, Idaho – Thanks to a strong shooting night by the entire team, the SUU Thunderbirds advanced to the semifinals of the Big Sky Conference tournament with an 83-64 victory over Northern Colorado.

The Bears, who were the No. 2 seed going into the tournament had defeated SUU twice earlier in the season. This time, however, the 7^th-seeded Thunderbirds’ powerful offensive performance made the difference as they pulled off the upset.

It was the second straight year that SUU had a surprising victory in the quarterfinals of the Big Sky tournament. Last season, also as a 10 seed, the Thunderbirds defeated second-seeded Idaho 92-78 to move to the semifinals, where they lost to Eastern Washington.

Hear Coach Simon and Dre Marin talk with PlutoTV following the big upset in Boise! 🎙 pic.twitter.com/69tUmS5ADf

— SUU Men's Basketball (@SUUBasketball) March 15, 2019

In this year’s upset, the Thunderbirds were stellar on offense, especially when shooting the ball.

As a team, they shot 52.7 percent from the field and 52.4 percent from beyond the arc, making 11 triples. The Thunderbirds also cashed in on 14-of-15 attempts from the free throw line.

Four Thunderbirds finished in double figure scoring, led by Cameron Oluyitan, who finished with 18 points. Jacob Calloway also had a great outing with 17 points with five 3-pointers made.

⚪️ Player of the Year
⚪️ Coach of the Year
⚪️ Defensive Player of the Year
⚪️ Freshman of the Year
🔘 A Win ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/EZ5jKSpDwX

— SUU Men's Basketball (@SUUBasketball) March 15, 2019

The Thunderbirds also kept Big Sky Conference Player of the Year Jordan Davis in check in the 19-point victory. Davis scored 15 points in the loss and the Bears were outscored by 15 when he was on the floor.

SUU will play the winner of Eastern Washington and Montana State in the semifinals of the conference tournament on Friday at 8 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Pluto TV.