Southern Illinois University
19-2, 13-0MVC
Drake
9-12, 5-8MVC
Men's Basketball Crushes Drake, 96-76
02/11/2004 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 11, 2004
By Seth Whitehead
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill.-So much for a letdown.
Playing its first game since beating Creighton Saturday and entering the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time in 27 years, the Southern Illinois University men's basketball team was hoping to keep its focus -- and momentum -- going strong Wednesday against Drake.
"I told those guys, `you're ranked 23rd in the country, now go out and play like it,'" SIU head coach Matt Painter said.
Did they ever.
The Salukis proved they belong in the rankings in emphatic fashion by crushing the Bulldogs, 96-76, in front of 6,500-plus at SIU Arena.
Many questioned whether the Salukis would overlook the Bulldogs, who came into the game with a 9-11 record.
But the No. 23 squad in the country played like a team possessed for three-quarters of the game -- building a 35-point lead at one juncture.
"Even when things didn't go our way, I thought our hustle was great, our enthusiasm was great," Painter said.
They cruised the rest of the way, improving to 13-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference and 19-2 overall. SIU has won 11-straight -- the program's longest winning streak since 1966-67, when a guy named Walt Frazier led the Salukis to the NIT championship.
"I thought that we had to make a statement game and prove that this was no fluke," senior center Sylvester Willis said. "It probably gave everybody a little extra motivation to go out and play tonight."
"SIU is a very good ball team," Drake head coach Tom Davis said. "I was impressed that they did not let up tonight after being nationally ranked this past week."
More importantly, SIU remains three games in front of second-place Creighton with just five Valley games remaining.
"We get a game under our belt while being ranked, and you kind of lessen the questions about being ranked and get back to the real race, which is the Valley championship," Painter said. "That's the only thing we're concerned with right now."
Surprisingly, SIU's offense overshadowed its heralded defense in this one. The Salukis, admittedly, have struggled offensively on their home court this year, relying on their "D" to gut out wins.
But the Dawgs put it together on both ends of the floor on this night, and it was something to behold.
"It definitely feels good," Willis said. "We were talking on the bench how it feels good to go up against a team and it was just one of those nights where our shots kept falling. Our defense was there, even though we let up a bit at the end, but finally we were able to click offensively."
"We have a lot of guys who can shoot the basketball," Painter said. "We have struggled here at home. I don't know why it is. If I knew why, I'd fix it. It's just good for us to break out and make some shots."
Five players finished in double-figures in scoring for SIU, led by true freshman Jamaal Tatum's career-high 19. Tatum was 5-for-7 from 3-point range and 6-for-10 from the field overall.
Darren Brooks extended his streak of consecutive games in double figures to 26 with a 15-point effort, and LaMar Owen was once again a spark off the bench, scoring 12 of his 13 points in the first half, while blocking three shots and grabbing three steals.
Willis recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards, while Brad Korn chipped in 10 points and six rebounds and five assists.
On the night in which the SIU Athletic Department honored Saluki play-by-play man Mike Reis for his 25th year of calling Dawgs' games, it was fitting that the Salukis put together their best effort of the year.
SIU shot 50 percent from the floor, was 11-for-24 from 3-point range and was 15-for-21 from the foul line in recording a season-high in points.
The Dawgs dished out a season-high 25 assists, their highest total in two seasons, and played stifling defense, as always, forcing 22 Bulldog turnovers, good for a 29-16 advantage on points-off-turnovers.
The most amazing stat of the night: SIU got 48 points off its bench -- including 30 in the first half.
"(Our bench) could start for a lot of teams in this league," Painter said. "They could start for us. For us, the main thing is who finishes, not who starts. Those guys know if they play well, they can finish the game."
Tatum and Owen combined for 23 of those first-half bench points, as they helped the Salukis blow the game open.
Things were actually reasonably close just past the nine-minute mark, as SIU held a 25-19 lead following a 3-pointer by Drake's Pete Eggers.
But Tony Young countered Eggers' trey with a triple of his own, and it was all SIU the rest of the way.
Young's trifecta started a 10-1 SIU run that moved the Saluki lead to double-digits. SIU went on to outscore Drake 27-10 in the final eight minutes of the half, taking an impressive 52-29 lead into the locker room.
It was by far the best display the Saluki offense has put together this year, as blue collar gave way to Showtime for eight crowd-pleasing minutes.
Tatum was unconscious during that span, scoring 11 points on three 3-pointers and a fast-break layup in which he beat his man with a fancy, behind-the-back dribble.
And Owen electrified the crowd on at least three occasions, coming up with back-to-back 3-point plays late in the half to give SIU a 46-27 lead with 2:27 to go.
The first came thanks to a blocked shot by Owen on the other end of the court. The junior then finished the deal with an undorthodoxed lay-up, gettin hacked in the process.
Owen then came up with an offensive rebound and putback after Stetson Hairston came up with a steal.
"I thought LaMar Owen was great," Painter said. "He brings a lot of energy, attacks the glass, does the little things."
Owen almost made it eight-straight points with an acrobatic one-handed putback on SIU's next possession, but was called for an offensive foul, much to the crowd's dismay.
Tatum helped the Saluki faithful quickly forget the call, however, drilling a 3-pointer that gave SIU a 49-29 lead with 55 ticks remaining in the half.
Tatum capped off a near-perfect first half for SIU by nailing a 3-pointer off a high screen with 20 seconds remaining, as SIU headed into the intermission with a 23-point cushion.
As terrific as SIU played in the first half, they were actually better early in the second half, playing at a completely different gear than its competition.
A pair of Tatum free-throws moved SIU's lead to 30 points, 73-43, at the 13:18 mark, and the Dawgs reached their high-water mark on a Hairston basket at the 11:20 mark that gave them an 80-45 lead.
Hairston led SIU with seven assists, and also added seven points and six boards. Young chipped in seven points and three steals. Josh Warren pulled down eight rebounds.
It was a great night -- simple as that -- making a landmark week even sweeter.
"Not only do you want to keep winning games, but you want to keep making improvement," Painter said.
The Salukis certainly look like they're doing just that.
