Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
3-0
Milwaukee
2-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Illinois | 48 | 33 | 81 |
| Milwaukee | 38 | 39 | 77 |
Men's Basketball Tops Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 81-77
11/29/2003 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 29, 2003
By Josh Magill
www.SIUSalukis.com
MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The Southern Illinois University men's basketball team, led by Darren Brooks' career-high 26 points, remained unbeaten with an 81-77 win at Wisconsin-Milwaukee Saturday night.
The Salukis' victory ended the Panthers' 17-game home winning streak.
Southern Illinois (3-0) and Wisconsin-Milwaukee (2-1) traded baskets for much of the first half, with the lead changing hands six times.
In the last 5:38 of the first half, Southern used a 20-9 run to grab a 48-38 halftime advantage and never relinquished the lead thereafter.
The run featured a pair of 3-pointers by Brad Korn, and Jamaal Tatum scored five points in the final 1:45.
In the second half, the Panthers rallied back as Dylan Page sparked a 14-6 UWM run with six straight points as the Panthers closed to 54-52.
Southern pushed its lead to seven, 65-58, on a pair of free throws by Sylvester Willis with 9:36 remaining.
In a flurry of activity during the next two and half minutes, Brooks drained three buckets to give SIU a 71-62 at the 6:20 mark, but the Panthers quickly rallied and closed to within four points on a dunk by Joah Tucker with 3:28 to play.
Korn then made a key play for the Salukis, driving to the hoop and converting a conventional 3-point play as he was inadvertently poked in the eye. The bucket and free throw gave SIU a 74-67 advantage.
"I got poked in the eye and was shocked a little bit," Korn said. "I saw the lane was open, and Coach said take, so I took it."
UWM never seriously threatened the lead thereafter.
"Last year, our win, with the tip-in by Stetson Hairston, got us into the NCAA tournament," head coach Matt Painter said. "We still had to win some other games down the stretch, but that game probably got us over the hump. Now, to be able to come here and get a win is just huge for us."
In addition to Brooks' 26-point outburst, Korn added 15 points and LaMar Owen chipped in 11. Page finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Panthers.
"To be honest, we expected to be 3-0," Brooks added. "We've worked hard and the coaches do a good job of scouting, so we've always had confidence in ourselves."
Painter became the first head coach in SIU history to go 3-0 in his debut season.
"It's important that we've won three games in a row, but it's not important for me (personally)," Painter said. "The one advantage I have over a lot of those coaches is that these guys are familiar with me and I'm familiar with them."
The Salukis return to the court at home on Wednesday, Dec. 3, as they host Southeast Missouri State. Tip-off time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
