Boise State beats Southern Utah 79-60

BOISE, Idaho (AP) Derrick Marks scored 30 points to lead Boise State to a 79-60 victory over Southern Utah on Sunday.

James Webb III added 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting and also grabbed eight rebounds as the Broncos (8-2) won their fourth consecutive contest.

John Marshall scored 14 points and Travon Langston added 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting for the Thunderbirds (2-5). Southern Utah committed 13 turnovers as its two-game winning streak ended.

The Thunderbirds trailed by 21 midway through the second half and moved within 68-54 on a basket by Race Parsons with 6:09 remaining. Marks answered with back-to-back 3-pointers to make it a 20-point margin and followed with a basket with 2:40 to play to cap his second 30-point outing of the season and sixth of his career.

Boise State held a 38-32 lead at halftime as Marks had 14 points and Webb added 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting.

The Broncos shot 53.6 percent from the field despite playing without wing Anthony Drmic, who was sidelined with a back injury. Southern Utah shot 40.4 percent.

Marks had three baskets during a 13-3 run to start the second half as the Broncos expanded a six-point lead at the break into a 51-35 advantage.

Webb finished the surge with a thunderous dunk but was assessed a technical foul for hanging on the rim with 15 minutes left.

Kevin Allen's basket gave Boise State a 64-43 lead with 9:59 to play. The Thunderbirds made a push and moved within 14 before the sequence by Marks short-circuited any rally attempt.

Southern Utah missed 9 of 11 at the start of the contest as the Broncos opened up a 20-6 lead. Webb scored eight and Marks had seven points over the first nine-plus minutes.

The Thunderbirds halted Boise State's 11-0 surge as A.J. Hess and Parsons hit back-to-back 3-pointers to start a 10-0 burst that drew them within 20-16. The Broncos recovered with a jumper by Marks pushing their advantage to 31-21 with 4:47 remaining.

Southern Utah cut its deficit to six on four occasions, the latest in the half with Hess knocking down a 3-pointer 16 seconds prior to the break.

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TIP-INS

SOUTHERN UTAH: The contest was the first of eight straight road games for the Thunderbirds. They next play at home on Jan. 15 against Idaho State. Southern Utah forward Casey Oliverson drew a technical foul while sitting on the bench with 13:56 to play. It counted as his fifth personal foul and ended his participation. The Thunderbirds were 4 of 18 from 3-point range.

BOISE STATE: Webb is 15 of 17 from the field over the last two contests. Marks has topped 20 points on three occasions this season and has 1,444 career points, 41 behind seventh-place Roberto Bergersen (1996-99) on the Broncos' all-time scoring list. Drmic, who averages 15 points, has missed the last three games.

UP NEXT

Southern Utah visits Loyola Chicago on Friday.

Boise State hosts Abilene Christian on Saturday.