Men's Basketball Falls 71-67 in Cedar City

 
POCATELLO, Idaho- The Idaho State men's basketball team lost 71-67 to Southern Utah on Thursday evening at the Centrum in Cedar City, Utah.

Idaho State shot 48 percent (24-50) from the field while SUU shot 51 percent (25-49). The Bengals hit 16 free throws on 26 attempts while SUU was 14-21 from the free throw line. Idaho State out rebounded Southern Utah 30-29 and turned the ball over only 12 times.

"We didn't defend again for the third straight game," Idaho State coach Bill Evans said. "Our post guys really didn't guard at all tonight."

Chris Hansen scored a game-high 23 points while Marcus Bradley had 13 points and seven rebounds. Nnamdi Ezenwa had 10 points and Jeffrey Solarin had eight points and nine rebounds.

"I thought Chris was terrific," Evans said. "He was really good. He played with a lot of heart and determination. Marcus is continuing to make improvements and he is really getting better.
 
Idaho State trailed 33-31 at halftime. Neither team had a double-digit lead in the game. SUU's biggest lead was seven points while ISU held the lead three times during the game: 6-4 early, 42-41 six minutes into the second half on a Ezenwa basket, 44-43 on a jumper by Ben Wilson and 61-60 on a 3-pointer by Hansen with four minutes left in the game.

Idaho State plays at Northern Arizona on Saturday at 4 p.m. The game will be heard live on 102.5 FM and 930 AM. Fans can also watch the game on Fox College Sports Pacific and Fox Sports Arizona.