Southern Illinois University
19-4, 9-2MVC
Creighton
14-6, 9-2MVC
Men's Basketball Rallies To Beat Creighton, 79-77
02/03/2002 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 3, 2002
OMAHA, Neb. - Southern Illinois staged a furious second half comeback, turning a 14-point deficit into a 79-77 win over Creighton Sunday in the battle for first place in the Missouri Valley Conference.
The game featured a dramatic ending, as Kent Williams hit two free throws with 0.3 seconds remaining to seal the victory.
With the win, the Salukis (19-4, 9-2) moved into a tie with the Bluejays (14-6, 9-2) atop the MVC. The teams will square off again on Feb. 20, in Carbondale.
Creighton dominated the first half, shooting 57 percent from the field, including 6-of-10 from 3-point range. However, the Saluki defense took control in the second half, limiting the Bluejays to 25 percent shooting in the final 20 minutes.
"We lost our composure in the first half and didn't do things the way we had practiced them," Saluki head coach Bruce Weber said. "Then in the second half, we didn't give them easy baskets. We made them earn everything."
Trailing 48-34 at halftime, the Salukis opened the second half with a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to 48-44 with 16:54 remaining. Rolan Roberts, who led the team with 18 points on the afternoon, had three baskets in the flurry, including an alley oop dunk off a lob pass from Jermaine Dearman to start the run.
"At halftime, Coach Weber said we needed to get the ball inside," Roberts said. "We felt we had an advantage inside that we needed to exploit."
SIU eventually tied the game, 61-61, on a 3-pointer by Darren Brooks with 9:35 remaining. The Salukis pulled ahead, 63-61, moments later on a layup by Brooks. He finished with 13 points and made all three of his 3-point attempts.
The Salukis took their biggest lead of the game, 75-69, on a pair of free throws by Jermaine Dearman with 3:16 left. However the Bluejays cut the deficit to 77-75 on a jumper by Kyle Korver at the 1:04 mark.
On SIU's next possession, Brad Korn missed a 3-pointer with 30 seconds left, but Dearman grabbed the rebound and Creighton was forced to foul Marcus Belcher with 22 seconds on the clock. Belcher missed both free throws, giving the Bluejays possession of the ball down by two.
Creighton's Mike Grimes was fouled by Roberts with four seconds left, and he calmly made both free throws to tie the game.
With the score tied ,77-77, the Salukis went the length of the floor, and Kent Williams was fouled as he tossed up an off-balance 3-point attempt. He stepped to the line with 0.3 seconds left and sealed the win with two free throws. He intentionally missed the third free throw and grabbed his own rebound as time expired.
"It was a designed play," Williams said of the inbounds play the team used to free him for the 3-point attempt. "It didn't go perfectly well. Jermaine (Dearman) was supposed to screen for me. It wasn't going to be a very good shot, but he fouled me pretty hard."
The Salukis had five players score double figures, including a career-high 15 points by Korn.
