Southern Illinois University
5-2
Murray St
3-3
Men's Basketball Defeats Murray State, 80-71
12/11/2004 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 11, 2004
By Scott Mees
www.SIUSalukis.com
Listen to Postgame Press Conferences
Chris Lowery | Stetson Hairston/Tony Young/Darren Brooks
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Darren Brooks did a little bit of everything, and the Salukis hit some clutch free throws down the stretch to get back on the winning track Saturday.
Brooks scored 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Southern Illinois University men's basketball team outlasted Murray State 80-71 at SIU Arena.
Brooks' 27 points is a career-best for the senior guard, who nearly totaled a double-double in the first half.
"We had great leadership tonight," said SIU head coach Chris Lowery. "Our older guys stepped up and made plays like they normally do."
Brooks and Hairston hit big shots, made free throws and gave one of their best performances as a duo in recent memory.
"At the end, they had a hand in everything that decided the game," Lowery said. "That's the way it's always been with our seniors."
Tony Young hit a pair of free throws with 4:30 remaining to put SIU up 68-62. MSU's Issian Redding sank a pair to pull Murray within 68-66 moments later.
Stetson Hairston hit a huge 3-pointer with 2:07 left in the game, that put SIU up 72-66. Hairston followed that with a pair of clutch free throws to put the Salukis up by eight, 74-66. Young stole the ball from Keith Jenifer, and proceeded to deliver the knockout blow by nailing a 3-pointer right in front of the SIU bench.
That clutch trey put Southern up 77-66 with less than a minute to play, and it ended the Racers' hopes of an upset.
"He's the bulldog," Lowery said. "He's the guy when you're walking your dog in the neighborhood and a dog's growling on the porch - that's him. Everybody's scared of him.
"He's the guy that, when you come in the game, the (opposing) guard looks for somebody else to come and get the ball."
Hairston scored 18 points and dished six assists for the Salukis. Young added 10 points and six steals off the bench.
"Coming off of a road loss, we needed a win to get our heads going," Hairston said. "We didn't look like the Salukis at Arkansas-Little Rock."
The Dawg Pound hounded Jenifer relentlessly for the duration of the game, and the wild student section chanted "Jenifer, Jenifer" consistently whenever the MSU guard touched the ball.
"I don't think Jenifer likes it here," Lowery said. "They really went after him, and it was huge."
Lowery pointed out that if the Salukis had come out like they did at Arkansas-Little Rock, they would have been blown out by Murray State. The Racers hit some big 3-pointers and hung around until the end.
"It was a great environment, and they have a great program," said Murray State head coach Mick Cronin. "Brooks goes hard every play, and that's great for them because their young guys see that."
Jenifer shot the ball just four times in 32 minutes of action. The Racer guard scored eight points. Darnell Hopkins led MSU with 21 points, and Trey Pearson added 17.
"It was fun for me with everybody screaming," Young said. "When you're on defense and you see somebody mad, you just kind of smile at them and have fun."
The Salukis drew a solid 6,361 fans, at Saturday's game, which made the building shake whenever Hairston and Young each hit their 3-point goals late in the contest.
Brooks scored 12 of SIU's first 16 points in the second half. The senior sandwiched a pair of 3-pointers in between several layups during that stretch where the Salukis opened up a 12-point advantage.
"I just wanted to come back and make a statement to my teammates, and let them know I'm sorry for what happened (at Little Rock)," Brooks said. "I take some responsibility for what happened and the way we played there.
"I just wanted to come out here and have a good game."
The Saluki MVP admitted he was still a little bit under the weather and taking medication for it. He said he should be fine for Tuesday's home game.
In the first half, the Salukis jumped out to a 6-0 lead, but Murray State went on a 12-3 run to take the lead at 12-9. SIU maintained a small lead throughout the rest of the opening half.
"It felt good to come out in front of our home crowd and just get this win," Brooks said. "All the traveling, flying and hotels get tired on us."
SIU returns to action Tuesday night against Wright State at SIU Arena. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:05 p.m.
