CEDAR CITY, Utah (AP) -- Tim Gainey scored 21 points and DeAngelo Newsom added 14 Saturday to lead Southern Utah to an 80-75 win over Missouri-Kansas City.
Nate Janes scored 10 points for the Thunderbirds (13-14, 6-10 Mid-Continent), who came from 10 points down in the first half to win their final home game of the season after two straight road losses.
Mike English led Missouri-Kansas City (15-11, 11-4) with 19 points, while Brandon Temple scored 18. Carlton Aaron and Tim Blackwell added 15 each for the Kangaroos, who played their third game in five nights.
Trailing 66-53 with 5:40 to play, Missouri-Kansas City scored eight straight points over the next two minutes to cut Southern Utah's lead to five.
Rand Janes answered with a jump hook and a coast-to-coast layup, and the Thunderbirds went 8-for-10 from the foul line in the final minute to preserve the victory.
Southern Utah trailed 41-34 at the half but opened the second half with 12-3 run. Lubor Olsoveky sandwiched a turn-around jumper and a layup around two Steve Barnes 3-pointers, and Nate Janes made a layup to give the Thunderbirds a 46-44 lead at 14:46.
Twenty seconds later, Blackwell converted a three-point play that gave the Kangaroos a one-point lead. Southern Utah responded with a 12-2 run that included 3-pointers by Gainey and Curtis Lincoln, giving Southern Utah a 58-49 lead with 9:35 remaining.
