CEDAR CITY, Utah (AP) Brandon Better had all 15 of his points in the first half and Jadon Cohee finished with 19 as Southern Utah started fast and held on for an 81-69 win over San Jose State on Thursday night.

Better outscored the Spartans early as he drilled four from beyond the arc and converted a 3-point play to give Southern Utah a 30-14 lead with 4:10 left in the first half.

Jaycee Hillsman's 3-point play with 6:43 remaining in the game pulled the Spartans to within eight, 61-53. Cohee hit a 3 for a 74-61 lead at the 2:41 mark and Dre Marin's jumper gave the Thunderbirds a 76-63 lead with 1:22 left.

Southern Utah (1-2) made seven more from distance, hitting 29 of 64 field goals. The Spartans made 46 percent (23-50).

Ryan Welage had 21 points with seven boards for San Jose State (1-2). Hillsman added 18 points.

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