Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
1-0
Wyoming
0-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Illinois | 25 | 42 | 67 |
| Wyoming | 30 | 32 | 62 |
Men's Basketball Rallies for Road Win at Wyoming
11/22/2003 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
By Tom Weber
www.SIUSalukis.com
LARAMIE, Wyo. - When it was gut-check time at Wyoming's Arena-Auditorium, Southern Illinois never flinched, while the host Cowboys watched their lead slip away in the final two minutes, as the Salukis rallied to win, 67-62.
The outcome was familiar for a Saluki team which has won most of its close games and posted a 52-15 record in the last two years. However, the big difference is that this year's team doesn't have household names like Bruce Weber, Kent Williams or Jermaine Dearman to turn to when the game is on the line.
Southern Illinois (1-0), which lost its head coach plus its top two players, including 40 percent of its offense from last year's NCAA Tournament team, answered the big question about how much talent still remains.
The answer -- lots.
Four players scored in double figures, led by Darren Brooks' 16 points. However, it was former role player Josh Warren and true freshman Jamaal Tatum who made big plays down the stretch to key the victory.
Rookie head coach Matt Painter did something even his mentor failed to do, win in his coaching debut at SIU. And like his predecessor, he gave all the credit to his players.
"They're tough guys," Painter said. "We have six guys who have played in the NCAA Tournament. They've been there, but maybe they haven't been in the same role as before. We found out that they have some guts. Our guys just grinded it out and found a way to win."
Trailing by five at halftime and by as many as nine in the second half, the Salukis needed guts to pull off this road victory.
Down 54-48 with 11:18 remaining, guard Stetson Hairston lit the spark that started the comeback. First, he drained a long 3-pointer from the left wing. Then, he followed with a steal that led to a fast break layup by Brooks, cutting the deficit to 54-53. Minutes later, he added another steal and finished the fast break himself to draw the Salukis to 56-55 with 8:43 to go.
"Stetson gives us that energy," Painter said. "He gets in the passing lane, gets steals, creates offense through his defense, and that gave us a boost and got us going."
After Wyoming pushed the lead to 59-55 on a dunk by Omoniyi Makun, Hairston made yet another steal, this one leading to a LaMar Owen layup. From there on out, the Salukis never trailed by more than three points and continuously harrassed Wyoming's half-court offense.
Tatum, playing in his first collegiate game, responded like a veteran in the second half. He started the game at point guard and tossed up air balls on his first two jump shots, but his defense in the second half made up for it. He hounded the Cowboys' top guard, Jay Straight, into four turnovers and held him to 15 points in the game on 5-of-13 shooting and 1-of-6 from 3-point range.
"Jamaal was able to put constant pressure on Jay Straight and wore him down throughout the game," Painter said. "That's what we kept telling him, your shots may not fall, but now he can give us something defensively, and he did a fabulous job of wearing their guards down."
In the paint, the out-sized Salukis scrapped for every rebound and loose ball. Warren came off the bench and dropped in 12 points and led the team with eight rebounds. He contained Wyoming's 7-footer, Alex Dunn, holding him to one point.
And it was Warren who finally gave Southern the lead on a nifty up-and-under move at the 2:25 mark, putting SIU ahead, 63-62. The Salukis hadn't led in the game since the six minute mark of the first half.
"It's what you live for all your life," Warren said. "The chance to make big shots. Tonight we made them."
After Straight missed jumpers on consecutive possessions for the Cowboys that would have regained the lead, Tatum made one of the biggest plays of the night, driving to the basket and softly banking home a short jumper amidst the tall trees of Wyoming's defense. It was only his only points of the game, but it gave Southern a 65-62 edge with 55 seconds remaining.
"I was a little nervous before the game," Tatum said. "Especially when I saw my name on the board as a starter. After those first couple shots, I knew it was just a matter of getting into the flow of the game. In the second half, the game got intense, and I forgot about the crowd and forgot about everything and just wanted to get the win."
Trailing by three, panic set in for Wyoming, as it missed its last four field goal attempts of the contest.
Brooks sealed the win for Southern with a pair of free throws with nine seconds remaining.
Wyoming (0-1) appeared to have too many factors in its favor for the Salukis to overcome. The Cowboys, who used five front court players taller than 6-foot-8, had just a five-rebound advantage over the smaller Salukis, however.
Also, the Salukis travelled more than 10 hours by bus and plane to reach Laramie and were greeted by a sign outside their lockerroom that warns visitors to beware of the city's altitude (7,200 feet above sea level) and asks "How's your oxygen?"
Warren admitted the altitude was a factor in the game.
"But coach did a pretty good job of subbing us," he said. "One time, everybody was touching their knees and coach had to call a timeout.
The weather outside could have also played a factor in the Salukis' psyche, as Laramie received more than a foot of snow on Friday and Saturday, and wind chills dipped well below zero Saturday evening. But in the end, it was just one more obstacle to surmount.
Painter, who is just the 11th head coach in the 90-year history of the program, seemed matter-of-fact about picking up his first career W.
"It feels great," he said. "We fought very hard to get this program to where it is, and I just hope I can keep it going and maintain that high level."
