Southern Illinois University
23-2, 16-0MVC
Creighton
19-6, 11-5MVC
Men's Basketball Holds Off Creighton, 68-60
02/24/2004 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 24, 2004
CARBONDALE
By Seth Whitehead
www.SIUSalukis.com -
It was 20 minutes of heaven, 18 minutes of hell, and two minutes of the Southern Illinois men's basketball team doing what its done all year -- finding ways to win.
After a stellar first half, the 16th-ranked Salukis saw a 17-point lead trimmed to just three with two minutes to go.
But they got a couple big plays from junior guards Darren Brooks and Stetson Hairston down the stretch and closed out the game on a 7-2 run, holding off Creighton, 68-60, in front of a sold-out crowd at SIU Arena Tuesday night.
"We allowed (Creighton) to keep their heads up, and they made plays," SIU head coach Matt Painter said. "They dominated the boards and did a good job of getting put-backs for baskets. They're a very good team, and we're very fortunate to beat them twice this year."
In addition to improving to 23-2, SIU extended a trio of streaks: its current winning-streak (15), its conference home winning-streak (21) and its overall MVC winning-streak (26).
The Salukis also joined 1979 Indiana State Sycamores and 1985 Bradley Braves -- teams led by Larry Bird and Hersey Hawkins, respectively -- as the only Valley programs to reach 16-0 in league play.
More importantly, the Dawgs are one step closer to their third-straight NCAA Tournament bid -- whether they admit it or not.
Fans can speculate on SIU's ever-increasing possibilities, but the team is living the oldest of sports cliches: one game at a time.
"We have to keep our focus on our next opponent," Painter said. "You have to go think about the next game. You can't think about the tournament. You can't think about a seed. You can't think about running the table. That's what you have to do if you want to do something special.
"You don't think about winning and losing, you think about doing the little things that help you win. If you think about those things, you're going to be OK."
"As far as beating Creighton in itself, that didn't matter," Hairston said. "We've known all year we just have to take it one game at a time and we should be successful."
SIU played an outstanding first half, out-hustling the Bluejays and showing surprisingly fresh legs despite taking the court just two days after Sunday morning's showdown with Hawaii.
The Salukis out-rebounded CU 18-16 in the first 20 minutes and held a 12-6 advantage in the turnover category.
"I thought we did a good job in the first half of limiting their looks on the offensive end," Painter said. "And then we had a lot of pressure on the basketball, played with a lot of emotion and got the crowd into it.
"I just liked our guys' demeanor. They were on the hunt."
"We weren't sharp in the first half and gave up way too many offensive rebounds," Creighton head coach Dana Altman said. "Offensively, 12 turnovers is going to slow you down quite a bit."
The Salukis took 40-25 lead into the lockerroom, and Brooks started the second half in fine fashion with a slashing layup to give SIU its biggest lead of the game, 42-25.
At that point, it looked like the Salukis might blow their arch rivals off the floor.
But Creighton (19-6, 11-5 MVC) refused to quit, knowing it needed to win the game to have any chance at an NCAA Tournament at-large bid.
The Bluejays responded with a 19-5 run, highlighted by 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions.
They cut SIU's lead to single digits, 45-38, on a Kellen Milliner trey at the 14:10 mark. Hairston responded with a layup in transition, but Milliner came right back with another 3-pointer.
Nate Funk then followed an SIU miss with a trifecta, as Creighton suddenly cut SIU's lead to four, 48-44, at the 13:13 mark.
Things were nip-and-tuck the rest of the way, as the Salukis simply could not shake the Bluejays on the boards and couldn't get a shot to drop.
But, as has been the case all year, SIU came up with big plays when it absolutely had to have them.
Creighton clearly had the momentum in its favor after a Mike Grimes basket cut SIU's lead to 61-58 at the 2:43 mark, and the Salukis turned the ball over their next trip down.
But Brooks came up with a huge defensive rebound with about two minutes remaining after an absolute brick by Brody Deren.
Brooks then nailed a step-back jumper at the 1:44 mark, stretching SIU's lead back to five points, 63-58. Not quite as dramatic as his big 3-pointer late in the Hawaii game -- but clutch nonetheless.
"Darren steps up and makes big plays, whether it's making a shot or making a defensive stop," Painter said.
"If he has the ball in his hands, I'm pretty sure he's going to lay it up or shoot the jumper over somebody," Hairston said. "I've been playing with him since high school, and I know he's going to make a play."
Hairston then came up with a steal with 1:23 to go, and SIU made just enough of its free throws in the final minute to pull out the win.
The Salukis were just 5-of-8 from the charity stripe in the final 1:07, but it didn't cost them, as Creighton missed a 3-pointer and had a costly turnover over that span.
"I'm very pleased how the guys battled back in the game and got it down to three with a couple minutes left to go," Altman said. "But we just didn't make plays.
"Southern's quickness was the deciding factor. They're probably the quickest team I've seen in my 10 years in the Valley. They've got outstanding defense at all their spots."
SIU had a very balanced attack, led by Brooks, who scored 14 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out three assists.
LaMar Owen added 12 points, while Brad Korn and Hairston chipped in 10 points apiece.
Funk led Creighton with 15 points, while Deren put up a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
