Southern Illinois University
Hawaii
Men's Basketball Tops Hawaii, 66-62
02/21/2004 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 21, 2004
By Seth Whitehead
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE -
It sounds like a broken record.
But has a broken record ever sounded so good?
The 20th-ranked Southern Illinois University men's basketball team showed a national-television audience, a sellout crowd and the University of Hawaii just how a "mid-major" team has risen into the Top 25.
The Salukis played great defense -- again -- tying the school-record with 21 steals.
And they got clutch shots when they needed them -- again -- going on to knock off the Rainbow Warriors, 66-62, early Sunday morning, bolstering their already impressive NCAA Tournament resume.
Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year in waiting Darren Brooks and fan-favorite LaMar Owen came up with huge baskets down the stretch as the Salukis capitalized on a rare moment in the spotlight.
The Salukis won their 14th game in a row and improved to 22-2 with a showcase win against a team tied for first place in the Western Athletic Conference.
"I'm proud of our guys for playing they way they have all season," SIU head coach Matt Painter said. "This was a special game because these guys allowed it to be a special game. Give them credit for being 22-2."
The Salukis held a narrow 60-59 lead with about 1 1/2 minutes remaining when Owen flew down the lane for a emphatic two-handed putback of a Brooks miss -- sending the crowd into hysterics and extending SIU's lead to three points.
"I don't even remember who took the shot," Owen said. "The ball came off the rim, and I went up, and the ball came into my hands.
"From there on, that's what set it off. The fans were into it, and we knew right there we were going to take the game."
Tony Young then came up with his sixth steal of the game directly thereafter, finding Brooks, who was fouled driving to the basket.
But Brooks missed a golden opportunity to give SIU a five-point cushion, missing both his free-throw attemps.
Hawaii's Michael Kuebler was then fouled just in front of the one-minute mark, but he made just 1-of-2 from the line.
Still, Hawaii trailed by just two and still had hope.
But SIU's Stetson Hairston showed his veteran maturity, wisely working the shot clock down to seven seconds before setting up the play of the game.
The Saluki junior drove into the paint, drawing Brooks' defender, and prompty kicked out to the Salukis' wide-open leading scorer.
Brooks was able to make up for his missed free throws in a big way -- nailing a 3-pointer that gave SIU a 65-60 lead with just 27 seconds to go.
"Stetson broke his defender down, and I stayed up, and he made a good pass," Brooks said. "I just stepped up and took the shot. I felt confident. I knew I had to step up and make a play. I didn't want to lose this game."
Julian Sensley's 3-point attempt then rimmed out, and Owen grabbed the rebound -- all but sealing the win for SIU.
Brooks led the Salukis with 18 points, while Owen and Young provided a huge spark off the bench.
Young played like a man possessed -- recording a career-high in steals and scoring nine points.
"Tony's a great defender," Brooks said. "He's always playing hard and giving his all, and it motivates everybody else to give their all."
Owen also had nine points, in addition to grabbing four rebounds and two steals.
Brad Korn was also clutch down the stretch, coming up with a steal and run-out layup to give SIU its biggest lead, 59-51, just past the eight-minute mark.
But the Rainbows responded with an 8-1 run that trimmed SIU's lead to 60-59, setting up the dramatic final two minutes.
SIU trailed throughout most of the middle part of the game after Hawaii went on an 11-0 run midway through the first half and carried a three-point lead into halftime.
The Rainbows extended to a seven-point lead early in the second half. But the Salukis soon trimmed the lead -- and took their first lead in more than 20 minutes, 49-47, on a Young steal and fast-break layup at the 11:27 mark. Hairston preceded Young's go-ahead basket with a game-tying putback.
As expected, the game was a showdown of each teams' strengths -- SIU's ball-pressure and athleticism vs. Hawaii's size and strong interior play.
The Salukis clearly had the edge, as they came one steal shy of breaking the team record in that category -- tying the 1995 team's effort against Northern Iowa. Hawaii finished with a whopping 24 turnovers.
Hawaii post players Phil Martin and Jeff Blackett were formidable inside, however, combining for 36 points on 13-of-23 shooting from the field and 10-for-11 shooting from the foul line.
Hawaii's post play and free-throw shooting (16-for-19) was offset by woeful shooting from 3-point range (0-for-8).
And the Salukis, as has been the case all year, had far more opportunities from the field than their opponents -- 17 more this time around -- helping them overcome 43 percent shooting from the field.
A big assist also goes to the huge crowd, whose quanity -- 9,628 -- was equaled only by its enthusiasm. One observer said the atmosphere was even better than last week's Illinois/Wisconsin game at Assembly Hall in Champain.
"The fans were awesome," Korn said. "That's probably one of the best games I've ever been a part of since I've been here, similar to the Indiana game and the Creighton game. There was just so much energy out there. It's hard to not get caught up in it."
"People think we'd have a letdown," Painter said. "But with 10,000 people and the game on ESPN, there's no way we'd let down."
The unusual 11 p.m. start time only added to the festive atmosphere. Use your imagination.
It helped the Salukis "maintain" through some tough stretches in the first half, when they were clearly too energized.
To the Rainbows' credit, they didn't allow the hostile environment to affect them much at all.
"I'm very proud of our team," Hawaii coach Riley Wallace said. "This is a tough place to play; they have great fans. That's what college life is all about. The setting was perfect. You got a nationally-ranked team, you got national television, you got teams going at it.
"That's what those kids dream about when they go to college and the fans as well -- to be able to get involved. And I know people are concerned about the fans -- but the fans are beautiful.
"Every team would like to have them at the game supporting them, so get off the fans. They're some of the best in the country right now."
The Salukis carry a 14-game winning-streak into Tuesday's sold-out showdown with Creighton.
