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LAS VEGAS — The first-ever Western Athletic Conference Tournament game between Southern Utah and in-state rival Utah Tech was an instant classic.
Jason Spurgin had 18 points and eight rebounds to lead six players in double figures as Southern Utah held off hot-shooting Utah Tech 76-75 in front of a raucous crowd at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
Drake Allen and Maizen Fausett each had 13 points and four rebounds, and Harrison Butler scored 12 points with four rebounds for the Thunderbirds (21-11) in the rubber match that each team won in the regular season on their home floor. Tevian Jones and Cameron Healy each scored 10 for Southern Utah.
Allen also had a game-high seven assists for Southern Utah, which advanced to face Utah Valley in Friday's semifinals.
Cameron Gooden poured in a career-best 35 points to tie a program single-game program scoring record for the history-making Trailblazers, who shot 54% from the field. But Southern Utah scored 21 points off 17 turnovers, and held on in a game that featured 11 ties and 10 lead changes.
"These guys know how to close out games, and that was the difference for us," SUU coach Todd Simon said. "It was a very good college basketball game, and we hope to play better tomorrow."
Gooden erupted in the first half for Utah Tech, scoring 20 points that included a spinning jumper with 41 seconds left to give the Trailblazers a brief lead before Healy beat the buzzer on a 3-pointer to give SUU a 39-38 halftime edge.
Both teams shot 55% from the field before the break, but Utah Tech outrebounded the Thunderbirds 16-11 to overcome a 22-10 points in the paint deficit in the first half. Southern Utah's 18-of-25 free throws made the difference, including a pair by Butler with 8 seconds left to ice the game.
"Harrison getting in foul trouble hurt; he's our Pat Bev of our team," Simon said of Butler, a reference to Chicago Bulls guard Patrick Beverly that elicited a laugh from the seat next to him. "He kind of slows us down a little bit, but I thought he was tremendous, and Harrison is great like that."
Beverly, though? That's news to Butler.
"I have never gotten that much gas," said Butler, whose 12 points included 7-of-9 from the foul line. "I've shot those a thousand times in my life; maybe a million. No stress. I just threw it at the rim."
Added Simon: "In clutch basketball, I don't think he's ever missed a free throw."
Gooden and Jacob Nicolds had back-to-back 3-pointers to lift Utah Tech to a 54-48 lead seven minutes into the second half. Neither team led by more than 6 down the stretch, and was tied at 70-all with one minute remaining.
That's when Spurgin went to the rim for two, drew a foul for the 3-point play, and the free throw gave Southern Utah a 73-70 lead.
Gooden's game-tying attempt bounced off the iron on the next possession, and the Thunderbirds did just enough to hold on. Among Southern Utah's 18 free throws, none were bigger than Butler's trip to the stripe with 8 seconds left to ice the game before Gooden swished his fourth 3-pointer on a buzzer beater to provide the final margin.
"We were picked ninth, and we took that personally," Simon said. "But we believed in each other, and we like where we're at right now. We want to win; if we lose tomorrow, we'll be sad. We want to win every night."
Utah Valley blocks Tarleton's upset bid in tournament opener
The regular-season champs but No. 2 seed due to the league's resume seeding system, Utah Valley had something to prove against the last team to hand the Wolverines a loss Thursday evening.
Consider the point proven.
Trey Woodbury poured in 21 points, seven rebounds and three assists, and Justin Harmon led all scorers with 23 points as Utah Valley cruised past Tarleton State 72-58 at Orleans Arena.
"Obviously, we did have a chip on our shoulder and we wanted to come out here and make a statement," Woodbury said. "But we knew their pressure, and we weren't going to back away from the pressure."
Aziz Bandaogo supplied 12 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots for the Wolverines (25-7), and teammate Le'Tre Darthard had 11 points and four rebounds for a team that trailed for less than three minutes of its postseason debut.
The Wolverines shot 54% from the field, 47% from 3-point range and outrebounded the Texans 37-26, overcoming 20 turnovers that led to 23 points.
Just two weeks removed from a 77-58 loss in Stephenville, Texas, Utah Valley never let Tarleton (17-16) get comfortable. The Wolverines held the Texans scoreless from the field for four minutes in the first half, turning a 15-13 edge with 9:28 left in the half into a 25-15 advantage on a pair of free throws from Woodbury with 4:53 to go.
Woodbury scored 13 points with three rebounds before the break, and the Wolverines shot 52% and 4-of-8 from three en route to a 34-27 halftime lead.
Tarleton forced a load of turnovers, and pulled within one on Jakorie Smith's layup with 14:21 to go. But the Texans could get no closer as Harmon took over down the stretch and Bandaogo capped a 9-0 run back-to-back dunks with 5:24 to go to go up 63-48, then swatted a ball that flew into the stands to help secure the win on the defensive end.
"Every time he blocks it into the stands, I get hyped," Woodbury said. "Any play he makes is amazing. He's just a freak of nature."
Added Harmon: "Aziz is a specimen, an alien, a unicorn. Aziz is special, and young. He's just Aziz."
Smith had 12 points to lead Tarleton, and Freddy Hicks added 10 points and eight rebounds.
