Southern Illinois University
8-2
Saint Louis
2-8
Men's Basketball Crushes SLU, 67-41
12/21/2004 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 21, 2004
By Scott Mees
www.SIUSalukis.com
Listen to Postgame Press Conferences
Coach Lowery | Hairston/Brooks | Dale
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Mike Dale enjoyed his official Saluki coming-out party Tuesday night as the sophomore scored a career-high 15 points in a lopsided victory over Saint Louis University.
Dale sparked a key first-half run for SIU, which put the Salukis in the driver's seat for a 67-41 win over the Billikens at SIU Arena.
"Mike Dale kept getting open because we were passing the ball, and we weren't dribbling as much," said SIU head coach Chris Lowery. "Our big guys are getting better at screening, and finding the right screening angles to get people open."
Darren Brooks scored 11 points and handed out six assists in only 24 minutes of action. Stetson Hairston played just 22 minutes with 10 points, four assists and three steals for SIU (9-2).
"Mike Dale came in and made some big shots for us," Brooks said. "We just fed off of that, and it really changed the game."
The Salukis led just 18-16 when Dale drained a 3-pointer, and Josh Warren followed with a gorgeous pass - from the top of the key - to Darren Brooks under the basket for a layup.
"He (Dale) had to grow up, and if it didn't happen this year, then it would happen next year," Lowery said. "Mike Dale is rewarded because he's playing hard, and because he's doing the right things.
"Now, it's even more fulfilling to him than to have it so easy right away."
The Salukis were not done yet, as Stetson Hairston drove the lane and dished to a wide-open Brooks for another easy layup - the Salukis led 25-16 with 4:30 remaining in the opening half.
"We always talk about sharing the juice, and that's making that extra pass," Lowery said. "We really tried to quit dribbling so much on a catch, and just reverse the ball and let motion kind of flow."
One minute later, Dale sank another 3-pointer to put SIU up 28-16. After a Randal Falker tip-in, Dale hit his third long bomb of the half to extend the Saluki lead to 33-18 with just over a minute to play before halftime.
"It was very sweet, and I had a lot of family and friends watching," Dale said. "I wanted to come out and show everybody that I can play with them."
The sophomore, of Belleville, Ill., looked timid in the Salukis' first few games, but he appears to be coming into his own.
"I'm just letting the game come to me now," Dale said. "It's over now because we have to come back here tomorrow and focus on Illinois State."
In the second half, Jamaal Tatum found Matt Shaw for a layup to put SIU up 40-25 less than three minutes in. Moments later - in a bizarre play with bodies flopping all over the floor - Tatum came away with the ball and coasted in for an easy two points.
Then, Brooks displayed great speed and footwork as he beat his defender off the dribble and drove in for a layup. SIU led 44-25 with 16 minutes to go in the game.
After a timeout, Tony Young decided it was his turn to take things over for a while. The sophomore - standing underneath the SIU basket - threw the ball in to Shaw for a dunk. About 30 seconds later, Young made a steal and drove the length of the court for his own rim-rattling slam. The Salukis upped their lead to 50-27 less than six minutes into the second half.
"He (Young) is never too high and never too low," Lowery said. "He's just instant energy off the bench."
After a SLU basket by Ian Vouyoukas, Young drilled a 3-point goal, and Falker followed with a nice baseline jumper to put Southern up 55-29 with just over 11 minutes to play.
After a brief scoring slump for both teams, Dale returned and popped his fourth trey of the contest and that was all she wrote.
The Salukis enjoyed a 27-point cushion with 8:44 left in the game.
The Bills' best player - guard Reggie Bryant - was held to only six points on 2-of-7 shooting in only 18 minutes. Bryant averages better than 15 points per game for SLU. Tom Frericks led Saint Louis (2-9) with seven points.
"We really wanted to take Bryant out of the game," Lowery said. "I think his coach got so upset that he took him out."
The crowd -- of better than 6,600 -- erupted during Dale's 3-pointers, Shaw's dunk, and Falker's soaring stuff in the waning seconds of the game.
Hairston, of Fairview Heights, Ill., talked about the perceived lack of respect SIU gets in the Midwest.
"Coming from that area, you go home and see the previews of all the college basketball teams, and all they talk about is Missouri, Saint Louis and Illinois," Hairston said. "Southern Illinois is not in that article like we're not here. We needed to come out and show them we should be respected because we're a good team.
"We had to come out here and show Saint Louis that we're a team to be reckoned with."
Despite SLU's 2-9 record, Lowery was concerned about whether his team could handle the Bills' size in the paint.
"I was very nervous," Lowery said. "They're huge, and that really scared me right away. I was very pleased with how our three young babies came in and played against them."
SIU opens up Missouri Valley Conference play Thursday night at 7:05 p.m. against Illinois State at SIU Arena.
