Southern Illinois University
8-1, 2-0MVC
Illinois St.
4-5, 0-2MVC
Men's Basketball Tops Illinois State, 57-40
12/28/2003 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 28, 2003
By Seth Whitehead
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE - Forty minutes of hell -- courtesy of the Southern Illinois University men's basketball team --equated to just 40 points Sunday for the top shooting team in the Missouri Valley Conference.
And in exchange for their efforts, the Salukis broke a record that had stood for 35 years.
SIU used record-setting defense to knock off Illinois State, 57-40, in front of 5,892 at SIU Arena, extending its home winning streak to a school-record 31 games.
Thanks to their best ever defensive effort against a Missouri Valley Conference opponent, the Salukis broke a home winning-streak record that had stood since 1968.
ISU's 40 points is the all-time lowest amount allowed by SIU to a MVC opponent. The last time a Saluki opponent had a lower score was Dec. 21, 1998, when Illinois-Chicago managed just 37 points in a loss to SIU.
The Redbirds (4-5, 0-2 MVC), who came into the game shooting an MVC-high 49 percent from the floor, finished a woeful 32 percent from the field, including just 17 percent (3-for-17) from 3-point range.
ISU never came close to finding its rhythm, as a very good SIU defensive unit showed it has the potential to be great, maintaining its intensity throughout the entire game.
"We turned 25 minutes of hell into 40 minutes of hell," SIU head coach Matt Painter said. "We keep talking with our team about being able to match our first half intensity, and we've done a little bit better job in the last couple games. But tonight we were able to play 40 minutes."
"It says a lot about our defensive pressure," said junior forward LaMar Owen. "They missed a lot of shots, but hopefully a lot of that was from us."
Owen led the Salukis, scoring 16 points and grabbing eight rebounds in his first career start at SIU. Owen helped the Salukis overcome the absence of Brad Korn, the team's second-leading scorer, who was sitting the game out with the flu.
"Coach Painter told me this morning that I was going to start," Owen said. "And that just hyped me up even more. I was ready to go."
"He plays with a lot of energy and had a big-time game when we needed him," Painter said. "He stepped up for us and was one of the main reasons we won the game. He was super."
Owen scored all but two of his points and grabbed all but one of his rebounds in the second half -- proving to be the difference offensively in addition to leading a crucial 11-0 SIU run early in the half.
That run -- sparked by forced ISU turnovers and hustle by SIU on the offensive glass -- extended a slim 26-22 SIU advantage into a comfortable 37-22 lead at the 14-minute mark of the second half.
"I thought the first six minutes of the second half was the difference in the game," said ISU coach Porter Moser. "They're offensive rebounds and our turnovers in the second half were the difference in the game."
Willis started the run by hitting a jumper. ISU then committed a turnover that led to a Jamaal Tatum bucket.
Owen gave SIU a 32-22 lead with a tip-in at the 15:33 mark. An Owen free throw, followed by a Josh Warren basket, gave SIU a 15-point lead at the 14:37 mark.
The Redbirds would never get closer than nine points of SIU the rest of the way.
Darren Brooks added 12 points, five rebounds and three steals for SIU (8-1, 2-0 MVC), while Warren had nine points and 10 rebounds. Willis chipped in eight points on 4-of-4 shooting from the floor, and Tatum had eight points as well.
"I thought LaMar Owen, Sylvester Willis and Josh Warren really stepped up their games in the absence of Brad Korn and really had a lot of gas in their tank and kept giving maximum effort every possession," Painter said. "I think that was the difference in the game."
ISU's offensive frustrations can be capsulized in the night of its leading scorer, Trey Guidry. Guidry, who came in to the game averaging more than 17 points a game, finished with just five points Sunday, making just 2-of-14 shots from the field.
Marcus Arnold, who came in averaging 16 points per game, was held to just seven.
"Our main concern against them was Marcus Arnold," Painter said. "I think the world of him. He presents a problem with his strength inside and his ability to step out and make a 17-footer. But (the guards) weren't able to hit outside shots to loosen up the defense for Marcus Arnold. We were able to stay in a little bit more."
No Redbird player managed to reach double figures, as Najeeb Echols led ISU with nine points.
