Senior Guards Andre Spight and Anthony Johnson Jr. combine for 65 points to shake off the Bears slow start and defeat the Thunderbirds 97-80 on senior night.
With only four games left before the Big Sky conference tournament begins UNC (18-10, 9-6) and Southern Utah (10-15, 4-10) were both looking for a win, and with the Bears being only one game out of the fourth spot which would include a first-round bye, every win is a must.
So, as you would expect, the lineups were a little different on senior night. Instead of the normal starting lineup the Bears inserted Senior Guard Tyler Loose and Johnson to replace redshirt junior Jonah Radebaugh and junior Jordan Davis.
Although three of the five normal starters were the same, the unfamiliar lineup caused the Bears to get off to a slow start.
"When you start with a different lineup on senior night, it disrupts your rhythm. I thought it was off the first ten minutes of the game," said Coach Linder.
Both teams started the game slowly, scoring a combined 30 points with 7:15 left in the first half. But before the half ended the scoring picked up. The Bears went into the half up 38-33 with Johnson leading the way with a game-high 17 points.
As the Bears began the second half with their normal starters, things started to pick up.
"Over the course of the game, our guys dug in and got a rhythm and in the second half, I think we did a really good job of understanding on how to attack them offensively," said Linder.
The Bears came out firing on all cylinders and the game became an offensive showdown. Both teams scoring at will with little defense being played. Around the 16-minute mark, the Bears started to pull away from the Thunderbirds, increasing their lead to double digits.
As the game continued Spight and Johnson began to turn the game into a highlight reel, going back and forth with spectacular plays. Throughout the rest of the game, the double-digit lead was sustained, and the Bears finished out the last home game of the season with a win.
For the Bears, Spight finished with his second 40-point game of the year, while Johnson finished with 25. As for the Thunderbirds senior Jamal Aytes finished with 19. The Bears finish out there last three regular-season games on the road versus North Dakota, Sacramento State, and Portland State.
