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CEDAR CITY, Utah - Western Illinois was plagued by foul problems and cold shooting in a 69-48 Summit League loss at Southern Utah on Thursday night (Jan. 20). The Fighting Leathernecks dropped to 7-11 overall and 2-6 in the Summit.
Both teams combined for 46 fouls (25 by Western), and each squad made 20 free throws in the game. The Leathernecks, with only eight healthy players dressed for the game, had two foul out midway through the second half and had another with four.
The Leathernecks tied the game at 15-all midway through the first half on Brandon Smith's steal and quick 18-foot jumper. That was part of a four minute stretch when Smith and fellow senior Matt Lander accounted for Western's scoring.
Ray Jones, Jr. hit three free throws, Damon Heuir made two then Jackson Stevenett scored five straight points as the Thunderbirds (6-12, 3-5) pulled out in front – a lead they would not relinquish.
Matt Massey's putback basket right before the buzzer put Southern Utah up by 10, its biggest lead of the half.
Western battled foul trouble right away as sophomore Abdou Niang, making his first start of the year, picked up two quick fouls and his third in only two minutes of action. Freshman Mael Amenyedzi also picked up three fouls in the first half.
The Leathernecks shot 30 percent from the field but did convert 11-of-13 free throws. SUU shot 38 percent and was 10-of-15 at the free throw line.
At the start of the second half, Jack Houpt made a driving basket but it was called off on a charge. Kyle Davis made a baseline jumper for a four-point swing in favor of Southern Utah, and the Thunderbirds never looked back.
Amenyedzi picked up his fifth at the 13:31 mark, then Kaimarr Price fouled out two minutes later. Smith would drain a pair of 3-pointers but SUU never let its lead get into single-digits in the second half.
"I think we didn't have enough troops inside tonight. That was a key to the game. Give Southern Utah credit, they are a very good offensive team. We have to go back and see what we can do," said head coach Jim Molinari. "We cannot have another game of five assists and 18 turnovers. SUU is a very physical team. With the altitude and their size, some of our guys weren't ready for that … We have no margin for error. We've got to go out and do the things we do best, share the ball better and get Kaimarr more touches."
Smith tied a career-high scoring 12 points, hitting those two 3-pointers and all four free throw attempts. Lander led the Leathernecks with 14 points and six rebounds. Price added nine points and five boards. Houpt shared team-high honors with six boards.
Western shot just 26.7 percent from the field, but finished at 80 percent from the line (20-of-25). That also marked the second time in as many games Western shot 80 percent or better from the line, the first time doing so this year. The Leathernecks did however match a season-high with 18 turnovers.
Davis finished with 12 points and game-high 14 rebounds. Jones led all scorers with 16 points, going 8-for-13 at the free throw line. SUU shot 41 percent for the game from the field and out-rebounded the Leathernecks 42-33.
Western travels to UMKC on Saturday night (Jan. 22). Tipoff is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
