Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
16-5, 7-2MVC
Evansville
10-9, 4-7MVC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evansville | 24 | 31 | 55 |
| Southern Illinois | 39 | 40 | 79 |
Men's Basketball Rolls Over Evansville
01/29/2005 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 29, 2005
By Scott Mees
www.SIUSalukis.com
Listen to Postgame Press Conferences
Lowery | Merfeld | Owen and Brooks | Hairston
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Salukis returned home - after a pair of road losses - and won in dominating fashion in front of 8,186 fans at SIU Arena.
Darren Brooks scored 15 points Saturday night as the Southern Illinois University men's basketball team crushed Evansville 79-55 in Missouri Valley Conference action.
SIU (16-5, 7-2) led by as many as 27 points in the second half - and never let up defensively - as it held Evansville to just 38.6-percent shooting for the contest.
"We really moved the basketball, we got a lot of steals, and we forced 26 turnovers," said SIU head coach Chris Lowery. "We were back to our normal defense. I was very proud of my guys because it would be really easy to fold it up after how they performed at SMS."
Southern went up 49-30 after a Jamaal Foster jumper in the lane, and LaMar Owen followed with a short hook shot to extend the lead during an 8-0 Saluki run. Then, Mike Dale drove through lane for two points; Brooks stole the ball on the inbounds play and tossed to Dale who fell forward and dropped in two more points.
The Salukis had a comfortable lead of 25 points, at 55-30, with just over 13 minutes left in the game.
Later in the second half - after pair of Eric Ottens 3-pointers and a Drew Gore jump shot - Stetson Hairston heated up. The Saluki senior hit a 3-pointer; then he stole the ball from Evansville's Devan Welch and ran down the court for a two-handed dunk. Hairston scored 12 points in the game, and tallied seven out of nine SIU points during that run.
"Coach Lowery got after us the last few days, and we had a tough practice two days ago," Hairston said. "We had closed doors, and it was tough, but he got his point across. We definitely came out there and took care of business."
After Foster hit a jump shot, he threw a rainbow pass - over the lane - to Randal Falker for another easy two points. SIU led 77-50 with just under three minutes remaining.
Foster looked good as he scored six points and grabbed four rebounds in only 13 minutes of action.
The Salukis began the game by jumping out to a 10-4 advantage on a Matt Shaw dunk. The freshman started his first game as a Saluki in place of LaMar Owen. Shaw scored all six of his points in the first half.
"I'm very pleased with what Matt did," Lowery said. "I wanted to shake things up, and I told those young guys - all of them - now's your chance."
Shaw mixed in well early on, and the freshman was even called for a questionable technical foul after his dunk.
"Matt Shaw earned a starting spot, and nothing was given to him," Lowery said. "When the seniors said they feel comfortable throwing him the ball down there, then I think that's a sign. We listen to those guys."
Darren Brooks put up 11 of his points in the opening half as the Salukis raced out to a 39-24 lead at halftime. SIU shot 51.7-percent in the first half, and it followed that with a nearly identical 51.6-percent in the second half. The Salukis were consistent all night long.
"We didn't shoot 30 percent like we've been shooting the last few games," Hairston said. "It helps coming back home. Hopefully, we'll get on a winning streak."
Owen came off the bench, but he certainly brought that fire back to his game. The senior forward dove on the floor, forced two steals and did not miss a shot in the game. Owen was 3-for-3 from the field and 2-for-2 from the foul line.
"Now, LaMar comes in with people a little bit fatigued, and he's buzzing around and flying around," Lowery said. "Maybe he feels more comfortable coming off the bench.
"Unfortunately, it took 21 games to figure that out, but we'll take that to get it turned around at this time, and get better."
The change in the starting lineup is nothing new for Owen; he was the sixth man on last season's team.
"It doesn't affect me if I'm coming off the bench, or I'm starting," Owen said. "I get to see a lot of things coming off the bench. I get to see where I need to be, and what I can do."
The crowd of over 8,000 was a surprise to some of the players, according to coach Lowery.
"I told the guys these people love seeing you play, and the fans responded by coming out in full force, and watching them play a good game," Lowery said.
SIU won the battle of the boards 34-33 over Evansville (10-9, 4-7), and it shot 7-of-16 from 3-point range. Hairston and Jamaal Tatum each hit a pair of shots from downtown.
Mike Dale added 11 points, and Tatum scored 10 for SIU.
The Salukis begin a three-game road swing on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. against Bradley in Peoria.
