Southern Utah tops North Dakota 71-65

Feb 28, 2015, 05:07 pm

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Trey Kennedy scored 13 points and Southern Utah topped North Dakota 71-65 on Saturday.

Southern Utah (9-18, 6-10 Big Sky) built an 18-8 lead over the first 12 1/2 minutes of the game, including a 3-pointer by John Marshall, as North Dakota missed 16 of its first 19 shots in the contest.

North Dakota trimmed the deficit to four, 57-53, on Lenny Antwi's 3-pointer with 6:03 to go. But a few moments later, Southern Utah made a 9-0 run -- including A.J. Hess' 3-pointer -- to push the lead back to 13 with just over two minutes remaining.

Southern Utah shot 50 percent on 48 attempts and was 6 of 14 beyond the arc. Despite the win, the Thunderbirds were outrebounded 35-25.

Quinton Hooker led North Dakota(8-20, 4-13) with 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting.