CEDAR CITY, Utah - Southern Utah shot 55 percent from the field and 58 percent from long-range to defeat Western Illinois, 69-53, in Mid-Continent Conference action. The Thunderbirds (4-14, 3-3) led the entire way after a 10-0 start, holding the Leathernecks (5-12, 1-5) to just 27 percent shooting overall and 15 percent three-point shooting. Western Illinois outrebounded Southern Utah, 33-31, taking a 17-7 advantage on the offensive glass, and two had fewer rebounds (16-14) than the Thunderbirds. The Leathernecks also had an advantage at the line, shooting 21-of-24 (87.5 percent) to the Thunderbirds' 8-of-9 shooting. Western was led y Eliz Cepeda's 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench, while Fred Oguns added 11 points, all in the first half, including nine from the free throw line.Southern Utah was paced by 16 points each from Rand Janes and Nate Janes, who also had a game-high 10 rebounds. Henry Uhegwu scored 12 and Fernando Bonfim added 11 as four of the Thunderbirds' five starters scored in double-figures. Postgame Quotes from Western Illinois Head Coach Derek Thomas:"We just had trouble scoring tonight. It's hard to press (on defense) when you're not making baskets. Defensively, we weren't great but we were better. They hit some tough mid-range shots, some fade-aways, and were able to get on a roll."On the starting rotation:"There were a lot of factors that went into who started. We're trying to work through some things both on and off the court. The guys who started the game played hard, we just weren't making some shots. That loosened up Southern Utah and tightened us up early."On the run late in the first half:"We were still fighting the whole way. When you get behind early, that changes the whole game."On Sean Blalock's career-high nine points:"We were short-handed tonight, missing two of our top four scorers. But we had other guys step up and I was proud of them. I saw some bright spots out there.""We just have to stick to our game plan. I'm disappointed, but there's a lot of basketball left. We just have to stick to our game plan the rest of the way. Hopefully what we're doing now will pay off down the road."Postgame Notes:- Chris Gonzalez, Eze Samuel and Jeff Woodside each earned his first career start.- The Leathernecks used their sixth different starting lineup of the season.- Fred Oguns scored nine of his 11 first-half points at the free throw line (9-10), hitting his last eight attempts of the half.- Southern Utah began the game on a 10-0 run, but Western Illinois ended the half with a 12-3 run over the final three minutes. SUU began the second half on a 7-0 run.- The Leathernecks shot 21-24 from the free throw line, connecting on 19 straight at one point.