The win improved the Thunderbirds to 1-2 while the Hornets fell to 1-2.

Southern Utah led for most of the game but was never able to put Sacramento State away. The Thunderbirds finally sealed the contest with just minutes left in the game with the help of a couple of clutch shots and solid free throw shooting. SUU was 13-for-22 (59.1 percent) from the floor in the second half and shot 46.9 percent (23-49) during the game. The T-Birds were also solid from the line, making 23-of-28 attempts from the stripe.

Southern Utah led 32-22 with 3:46 left in the first half before the Hornets went on a 10-0 run to end the period and tie the game at halftime. Sacramento State staked a 48-42 lead early in the second half but had the lead slip away during an 11-0 run by SUU. The Hornets trailed by as many as eight but rallied to within two, 62-60, following a three-pointer from Emir Medunjanin with just over four minutes to play. The Hornets, however, could never pull closer.

Joining Collins and Williams in double-figures were David Palmer (11) and Robbie Warren (10). Warren also led the team with seven rebounds.

Sacramento State also had four players with over 10 points. The quartet was led by Medunjanin with a career-high 16. Raashad Hooks and Derek Lambeth each scored 11 while Jimmy White added 10. Freshman Chris Lange paced the team with a game-high 10 rebounds.

As a team, the Hornets were 24-of-65 (36.9 percent) from the floor, including 9-of-35 (25.7 percent) from behind the arc. The team was able to outrebound SUU, 42-31.

Sacramento State will continue its road trip on Monday, Dec. 2, against Missouri. The Tigers were ranked 18th in the preseason polls and reached the Elite Eight last season.

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