John Knight III scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half to lead Southern Utah over Bowling Green to win the Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off Palms Division championship game.

Knight III was later named Tournament MVP after his outstanding performance. The senior guard shot 8-of-11 (72.7 percent), matched a season high with seven rebounds, and dished out four assists.

Southern Utah led by as many as 21 in the second half, outscoring the Falcons 45-35 and holding them to 35 percent shooting. The Thunderbirds also forced 13 turnovers in the contest.

Tevian Jones followed up his terrific first-round game with another strong showing, scoring 16 points while Maizen Fausett added 14 points and nine rebounds.

Daeqwon Plowden led the way with 18 points and six rebounds for Bowling Green. Josiah Fulcher matched a season-high with 11 points, and Kaden Metheny chipped in eight points, three rebounds, and two assists.

An energetic, back-and-forth first half featured nine lead changes. Fausett notched 12 of his 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting for Southern Utah, which utilized a 13-2 run late to begin distancing itself from the Falcons.

Southern Utah’s Knight III (MVP) and Fausett and Bowling Green’s Plowden were named to the Palms Division All-Tournament Team following today’s game. Knight III dropped 19 points in two straight games and shot a blistering 14-for-19 (73.7 percent) during the event, also averaging 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists. Fausett averaged 17.0 points and 9.0 rebounds in two games. Plowden averaged 22.0 points and 6.5 rebounds for Bowling Green in the tournament.

Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off Palms Division All-Tournament Team

John Knight III (Southern Utah) – MVP

Maizen Fausett (Southern Utah)

Eze Dike (Yale)

DeAndre Gholston (Milwaukee)

Daeqwon Plowden (Bowling Green)

Box Score