Facing Cal Baptist in the regular season finale, Southern Utah picked up a record-setting victory at home.
The T-birds charged out of the gate early, taking a 7-0 lead before the Lancers got on the board with a three-pointer.
The matchup was close throughout the opening half, with SUU never leading by more than nine points. By halftime, Cal Baptist had cut the deficit to just five, 44-39.
While the Lancers kept within striking distance in the early portion of the second half, they never got close enough to overtake the home team.
The T-birds took their first double-digit lead just under five minutes into the second frame (58-48), eventually leading by as many as 18 while coasting to an 81-71 victory.
SUU shot 53.6% from the field in the contest (29-54), while also converting 15 of 18 free throw attempts (83.3%).
Jason Spurgin was the top performer for the T-birds, scoring 20 points. Drake Allen chipped in 15 points and eight assists.
The win improves SUU to 20-11 overall, finishing the regular season with a 12-6 WAC record in their inaugural season in the conference.
History made
With its 20th win of the campaign, Southern Utah has now tallied three straight seasons of 20 or more victories under head coach Todd Simon.
It is just the second time the men’s basketball program has achieved the feat, joining Stan Jack’s 1976-79 teams. This is the first time SUU has reached the 20-win mark in three consecutive years during its Division I era.
Along with the 20-11 record this season, the T-birds notched a 20-4 mark in 2020-21 and a 23-12 record last year.
Fausett joins elite company
Scoring 12 points in the win, Maizen Fausett became just the third member of the T-birds’ 1,500-point club.
Fausett has now tallied 1,507 career points, trailing only Jeff Monaco (1,568) and Davor Marcelic (1,710).
Up next
SUU (20-11, 12-6 WAC) will now participate in the WAC Tournament at the Michelob ULTRA Arena and Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada from March 7-11.
Due to the WAC’s resume seeding process, matchups will not be set until tomorrow.
