Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
4-0
Southeast Missouri
3-2
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southeast Missouri State | 25 | 33 | 58 |
| Southern Illinois | 33 | 38 | 71 |
Men's Basketball Slams S.E. Missouri St., 71-58
12/03/2003 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Let the record show: Dec. 3, 2003, versus Southeast Missouri State -- the night Jamaal Tatum first showed everybody why he was the Southern Illinois University basketball team's most-hyped recruit since Kent Williams.
Tatum had his coming-out party at the expense of the Indians, scoring 13 of his career-high 16 points in the second half, as the Salukis improved to 4-0 and extended their home winning streak to 29 games with a 71-58 victory Wednesday night.
After three relatively quiet games to start his Saluki career, Tatum finished 6-for-8 from the field -- including 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range - leading four Salukis in double figures.
All three of his second half 3-pointers countered SEMO baskets and helped SIU maintain a comfortable lead.
"Jamaal Tatum saved us from an offensive standpoint," SIU head coach Matt Painter said. "If it wasn't for Tatum, we would have had to grind it out and it would have come down to the last possession.
"When he comes in the game, we run things for him. He's the guy we have who can break people down off the dribble.
"He's going to be an unbelievable player here. He's got a great attitude. He's a good kid. He cares. He's coachable. Tonight, he saved us."
SIU is now tied with Duke for the longest home winning-streak in the nation -- and is one game away from tying the longest home winning-streak in school history.
Fellow newcomer LaMar Owen added 11 points and six rebounds for SIU. The JUCO transfer has scored in double-digits in all four of his games at SIU.
Senior Sylvester Willis finished with a double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Willis capped the Saluki win -- and his double-double -- with an emphatic dunk just before the final buzzer.
"He plays so hard and hustles," Painter said. "Some times it doesn't work out, and the ball squirts out of his hands, but he gives you everything he has. He and our other two seniors are the heart and soul of this team."
Darren Brooks chipped in 12 points, five rebounds and three steals for SIU.
Tatum and Owen teamed up with Stetson Hairston to spark a 12-0 Saluki run late in the second half that turned a 2-point deficit into a double-digit lead.
SIU took a 7-point lead into halftime, and moved out to a 10-point lead on a Tatum trey with just under 12 minutes to go in the second half. SEMO stayed close until the final minutes, however, thanks to the hot shooting of Dainmon Gonner and Derek Winans.
SEMO got to within six points late in the game, but Tatum's final 3-pointer with just under two minutes to go pushed SIU back out to a comfortable 10-point cushion. The Salukis cruised the rest of the way.
Gonner finished with a game-high 24 points and grabbed six rebounds, while Winans scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half, hitting three 3-pointers.
SIU had another great defensive effort, holding SEMO to 37 percent shooting from the field. The Salukis came up with nine steals and blocked five shots.
"I thought our defense was aggressive, but we had breakdowns," Painter said. "We allowed Derek Winans to get loose a couple times. He hit a couple step back threes, a couple tough shots. But when you play hard and guard, good things happen."
Both teams got off to a sluggish start after the game was delayed 50 minutes due to the referees being late. Apparently, the officials thought the game was being played at SIU-Edwardsville.
Whoops.
"You have to expect the unexpected. It's kind of like our foreign trip," Painter said. "You don't know if the refs are going to show up -- period. You just never know. That was our motto on the foreign trip, `Expect the unexpected.'"
SEMO enjoyed a 2-point lead with 6 minutes to go in the first half, but SIU responded with the afforementioned 12-0 run.
Owen started the run with an offensive rebound and putback. He then grabbed a defensive rebound and started a fast-break that resulted in two Hairston free throws to give SIU a 21-19 lead.
The Salukis would never trail again.
Hairston then came through on the defensive end, causing a SEMO turnover that started another Saluki fast-break, this one concluding with an Owen 3-point play.
A Willis bucket moved SIU's lead to 26-19, and the Salukis completed the run with a 3-pointer by Tatum, set up by a steal and assist by Hairston.
SIU moved out to a 12-point lead at the two-minute mark on a pair of Owen free-throws, but SEMO was able to take advantage of a couple SIU turnovers and cut the Saluki lead to 33-25 at halftime.
SIU has won 10 of its last 11 meetings with SEMO, including the last four in a row. The Salukis will look to improve to 5-0 Saturday when they travel to Drake for their Missouri Valley Conference opener.
"I like our guys," Painter said. "I like coaching them. They care, they want to win. I like being around them. We're going to have a fun season."
