Fresh off what coach Bill Evans called "an uninspired effort" in a 30-point loss Saturday night at Montana State, Southern Utah put the hurt on the Pepperdine Waves 97-80 Tuesday night in the Centrum.
Evans' starting guard tandem of Reggie Ingram and Daryl Christopher scored 23 and 20 points respectively to lead all scorers, and the Thunderbirds posted a season-high 40 rebounds.Seven-footer Gavin Van Der Putten led the Waves with 17 points.
"The kids just came out and played hard and beat a very good basketball team. We executed the offense, kept our composure and did an outstanding job of rebounding the basketball," said Evans. "Our rebounding effort is very satisfying to me."
SUU led by as many as 25 in the game, and Pepperdine could get no closer than six in the second half after trailing 34-42 to the 'Birds at the break. The Thunderbirds missed only one free throw in each half and finished the night hitting 21 of 23 freebies. SUU shot 51 percent from the field.
"One of the big differences between tonight and the last game was that we hit our shots. All of us were hitting better,and that made all the difference," said Christopher.
Russ Caton returned in a big way after missing Saturday's loss in Bozeman because of a medical emergency involving his 6-month-old son. Caton had 15 points, five rebounds, three assists, a pair of blocks and a steal in 23 minutes.
The win evens SUU's record at 4-4 on the year, while the Waves dropped to 5-3. SUU goes for win No. 5 Saturday night in the Centrum against Idaho State.