ST. GEORGE — In the end, the T-Birds just ran out of gas in the semifinals of the Discount Tire College Basketball Invitational on Tuesday night.
Southern Utah University saw its men’s basketball season come to a hard-luck finish after the Thunderbirds battled Eastern Kentucky through regulation and two overtimes before falling 108-106 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Eastern Kentucky advanced to the CBI championship game after winning its third consecutive contest in overtime.
The T-Birds missed two game-winning shot attempts at the end of regulation. Adding to the sting of defeat is the chain of events at the end of the second overtime session.
SUU’s Drake Allen canned an NBA-distance 3-pointer, tying the score 106-106 with 9 seconds left. Eastern Kentucky advanced down the floor and missed a shot with seconds ticking away.
In the battle for the rebound, Allen was whistled for fouling Isaiah Cozart with 1.9 seconds left on the clock. Cozart, who carried the Colonels at times and poured in a game-high 31 points, sank both charity tosses to provide the final margin of victory for Eastern Kentucky.
SUU managed an off-target half-court heave at the buzzer before the T-Birds finally had to accept that their season was over.
Cam Healy came off the SUU bench and shot 7-of-12 from 3-point land, totaling 23 points in the game to lead the T-Birds.
SUU got strong contributions from nearly every player. Allen finished with 22 points. Tevian Jones scored 16 and Harrison Butler recorded a double-double for SUU with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Dee Barnes posted double-digit scoring for SUU with 17 points off the bench, including a 3-for-4 mark behind the 3-point arc.
Barnes provided the highlight of the game in the first overtime when he flew through the lane, collected an inbounds lob and flushed it home to tie the game 99-99, forcing the second extra stanza.
EKU shot a blistering 50.6% from the field but SUU was right behind at 48.1% shooting. The Colonels pilfered 12 steals and forced SUU into 22 turnovers.
The T-Birds made a dramatic run through the Western Athletic Conference tournament before falling to Grand Canyon in the championship game.
Shortly after, head coach Todd Simon stepped down and took the head coaching job at Bowling Green. SUU associate coach Flynn Clayman led the squad at the CBI.
Additionally, Jones was recognized by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and named to the 2022-23 Division I All-District Team.
The T-Birds return home to Cedar City with a 24-13 record on the season.
Eastern Kentucky will play the winner of the CBI’s other semifinal, Charlotte against Radford.
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