CEDAR CITY, Utah - Three players landed in double figures, but it was not enough as the Western Illinois basketball team fell 73-60 at Southern Utah.

Strong shooting in the first half by the Thunderbirds (4-10, 2-1 Summit) helped them jump out to an early 6-4 lead with 16:39 left in the half. SUU then extended its lead to double figures behind a 15-4 run over the next 5:05. David Jackson silenced that run with a reverse layup at the 11:17 mark, cutting the deficit for the Leathernecks (5-8, 0-2 Summit) to 11 points at 21-10. Western could not get any closer in the first half, as Southern Utah was able to stretch its lead to as many as 21, before taking a 38-19 lead at the break.

Western struggled from the floor the entire opening frame, connecting on 6-of-25 (24%) shooting. SUU more than doubled that mark at 14-of-28 (50%) from the field. The teams combined for a perfect 13-of-13 from the charity stripe, as the Leathernecks hit 6-of-6 from the line.

Coming out of the locker room, the Leathernecks utilized a 13-5 run over the first 4:55 of the half, capped by a pair of free throws by Jerryck Owens-Murrey. The run would not hold as the Thunderbirds stretched their lead out to 22 points before David Nurse drained a three-pointer to cut the lead to 54-35. The next trip down the floor saw Chris Gonzalez connect from downtown to bring Western within 16. SUU built their lead back to 20-points, before James Washington and Nurse hit three-pointers on consecutive possessions to make it a 58-44 game.

The Thunderbirds maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way. The Leathernecks cut the deficit to 12 points at 66-44 on a Jackson put back, but it was as close as they could get the rest of the way.

Jackson led Western with 17 points to move into sole possession of 14th place on the all-time scoring list at Western. He was joined by Owens-Murrey and Nurse in double digits, with 12 and 10 points respectively. SUU had three players as well in double-figures, led by 20 points from Davis Barker.

The Leathernecks picked up the shooting in the second half, to finish 18-of-51 (35%) from the field. The battle of the boards went to Southern Utah at 34-31.

Western wraps up its Summit League road trip with a contest at UMKC Saturday, January 5th, at 7 p.m.