The Oakland University men's basketball team fell to Mid-Continent Conference foe Southern Utah 77-68 Thursday night at the Athletic Center 'O'rena, on the campus of Oakland University. The Golden Grizzlies fall to 6-10 overall, 3-2 in the Mid-Con, while Southern Utah improves to 12-3, 4-1 in conference. The first 10 minutes saw a tight battle as both teams exchanged leads, but the Thunderbirds' Jeff Monaco nailed a three-pointer at the 9:21 mark to give SUU the lead it never relinquished. The T-Birds led as many as eight points in the first half. Freshman Kelly Williams cut the Grizzlies deficit to four as he layed one in with 4:44 left in the half and seconds later hit two free throws to make it 30-26 (4:24). Oakland trailed 34-30 at halftime. The T-Birds' Fred House made a layup at the 8:23 mark to extend SUU's lead to 10, 55-45. The Thunderbirds were 12-14 from the free throw line down the stretch to cap the game at 77-68. The Grizzlies shot a season low 48 percent (11-23) from the free throw line compared to SUU's 74 percent (17-23). Leading the Golden Grizzlies was junior Jason Rozycki with 17 points, including three three-pointers. Rozycki was 4-5 from the charity stripe. Freshman Mike Helms followed with 15 points and Brad Buddenborg chipped in 12 points and five rebounds. Dan Champange led the Golden Grizzlies with eight rebounds. Southern Utah's Fred House scored a game high 22 points, grabbed eight rebounds and recorded five assits. The T-Birds Jeff Monaco had 18 points and eight assists. Oakland will next face Mid-Continent Conference opponent IUPUI Saturday, January 13 at the 'O'rena. Game time is 7 p.m. Box Score