Southern Utah smashes North Alabama with sizzling second stanza

Thunderbird center Jason Spurgin celebrates a win in Dayton Beach, Fla. on Saturday, March 18, 2023 | Photo by Southern Utah University, St. George News

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A dominant 38-16 second half led the Southern Utah men’s basketball team to a 72-50 victory against North Alabama at the Discount Tire College Basketball Invitational on Saturday.

Thunderbird center Jason Spurgin celebrates a win in Dayton Beach, Fla. on Saturday, March 18, 2023 | Photo by Southern Utah University, St. George News

Sophomore center Jason Spurgin made history for the Thunderbirds with the first double-double in SUU’s postseason history.  

Spurgin led all scorers with 16 points and 17 rebounds to go along with three blocks. His 17 rebounds also broke his previoous SUU postseason record of 16 set in a 77-66 victory against Portland last year.  

Graduate guard Cameron Healy sank five three-pointers en route to 15 points — the third-most triples in SUU postseason history. Dre Marin set the record with seven against Kent State in an 83-79 conquest last year in the Basketball Classic.

Marin wound up with 27 points that game, a school record for points in the postseason. Jeff Monaco sank six threes in the 2001 NCAA Tournament loss to Boston College en route to 26 points.

Sophomore guard Drake Allen scored 12 points en route to a 12-point, five-rebound, four-steal stat line.  

SUU’s Todd Simon announced Wednesday, March 15, he’s leaving SUU for Bowling Green State University | Photo courtesy of Western Athletic Conference, St. George News

Interim head coach Flynn Clayman, who took over the team after previous head coach Todd Simon left this week for Bowling Green, claimed his first career win as an NCAA Division I head coach.

The win also pushed SUU’s victory tally to 23 this year, matching last season’s second-ranked total. The school record is held by the 2001 NCAA Tournament squad that went 25-6.

The 22-point margin of victory is a Thunderbird record for postseason play. The previous record stood with an 82-69 conquest of UTEP at last year’s Basketball Classic.

Southern Utah faces the winner of the No. 5 Duquesne vs. No. 12 Rice contest on Monday, March 20 at noon Mountain Standard Time.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

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