Utah Drops Season Opener to Southern Utah, 76-73

Luke Nevill scores 19 points to lead Utes.

Ricky Johns, left, is fouled as he drives into Southern Utah center Brad Kanis, right, during the first half. (AP Photo/Steve C. Wilson)
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Nov. 10, 2006

Stats

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Steve Barnes scored 17 points, pulled down six rebounds and had seven assists to spark a second-half rally for Southern Utah and help the Thunderbirds stun the University of Utah 76-73 Friday night.

Nigerian junior Nurudeen Adepoju chipped in 16 points for the Thunderbirds (1-0), who recovered from a nine point second-half deficit to claim their second-ever victory over the Utes.

Barnes, the only returning starter, led the Mid-Continent Conference in assists for 2005-06. But the Thunderbirds counted on his shooting not his passing in the games waning moments.

After Chris Grant hit a pair of free throws to put Utah ahead 73-72, Barnes drained a jumper with 36.8 seconds remaining to put Southern Utah ahead for good at 74-73.

It was the perfect conclusion to a strong half for the senior guard.

Southern Utah trailed 65-58 when Barnes hit a jumper to spark a 13-2 run that put the Thunderbirds on top. Barnes finished off the run with a three pointer that gave his team a 71-67 lead with 3:09 remaining.

He and Adepoju each finished 7-of-9 from the field. As a team, the Thunderbirds shot 30-46 (65.2 percent) for the game.

Sophomore Luke Nevill scored 19 points to lead Utah, but missed a pair of free throws that proved costly down the stretch. Nevill was fouled twice in the final three minutes, but missed a free throw during each trip to the line.

Freshman Stephen Weigh and junior Johnnie Bryant each added 13 points for Utah (0-1).

Bryant scored six points to fuel a 14-0 run that turned a 44-39 halftime deficit into a 53-44 lead for the Utes. His consecutive layups put Utah ahead 45-44 and then he followed up a missed free throw attempt by Shawn Green with a jumper that widened the lead to 51-44.

After building up a five point halftime lead, Southern Utah took more than seven minutes to get on the board in the second half. The Thunderbirds finally scored when Marcus Carson converted a steal into a driving layup , making it 53-46 with 12:45 left.

Utah started fast, building up a 20-9 lead in the opening minutes courtesy of 11 points from Nevill. But the Thunderbirds responded with a 14-2 run capped off with a jumper by Adepoju to take its first lead at 23-22.