SUU Gets Improbable Win Over UVU; Plays For WAC Championship

Down 23 points with 15:42 in the second half, the Southern Utah men's basketball squad staged an epic comeback punctuated by senior guard Tevian Jones four-point play to clinch an 89-88 victory against Utah Valley in the Western Athletic Conference tournament semifinals. For the second night in a row, the Thunderbirds required a total team effort to edge an in-state rival after downing Utah Tech, 76-75, the night before. Jones paced the Thunderbirds with 20 points along with five assists as he pushed his career tally to 1,477 as an NCAA Division I athlete with 1,380 points coming as a T-Bird. Senior guard Harrison Butler scored 19 points with six rebounds to tie former teammate Dre Marin for fourth all-time in Southern Utah history. Sophomore center Jason Spurgin scored 15 points with seven rebounds and two blocks, while graduate guard Cameron Healy notched 14 points for the 'Birds. The Thunderbirds advance to the WAC finale in their inaugural season in the conference. SUU competes against Grand Canyon tomorrow at 9:30 p.m. MT as Southern Utah looks for its second NCAA Tournament bid in school history. The only team to have accomplished that feat came by way of the 2000-01 squad. Southern Utah's record improved to 22-11 while Utah Valley fell to 25-8 as SUU won the season series against the Wolverines.