Southern Illinois University
23-6, 13-3
Northern Iowa
19-9, 9-7
Men's Basketball Knocks Off Northern Iowa, 76-69
02/23/2005 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 23, 2005
By Scott Mees
www.SIUSalukis.com
Listen to Postgame Press Conferences
Lowery | McDermott and Jacobson | Hairston and Shaw
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Salukis erased an early seven-point deficit by going on a 23-0 run, in the first half, and won their 35th consecutive Missouri Valley Conference home game. The team also avenged an earlier loss at Northern Iowa.
Stetson Hairston scored 17 points Wednesday as the Southern Illinois University men's basketball team held off Northern Iowa 76-69 at SIU Arena.
SIU (23-6, 13-3) led by 15 points at halftime, but UNI (19-9, 9-7) made it closer by the time the final buzzer sounded. Darren Brooks tallied 16 points, three assists and three steals for the Salukis, but - surprisingly - did not have a rebound.
"If you had told me Darren would have zero rebounds and we'd win, I would've told you you're crazy," said SIU head coach Chris Lowery. "We just played hard, and it was a tale of two halves. The first half was high energy, tremendously played, and the kids really cut in."
Coach Lowery told his team that this game was for all the marbles, and that they could not be thinking ahead to Saturday's Wichita State showdown.
The Panthers led 9-2 early in the game, and that is when the fun stopped for them. Southern proceeded to go on a rampage of solid defense, offensive rebounding and 3-point shooting to amass an incredible 23-0 clip.
"It seemed like everything was falling for everybody," Hairston said. "We were upset about the second half, but a win is a win."
Hairston and company shot 7-for-14 from 3-point range in the first half and 10-for-20 in the game.
Jamaal Tatum pulled up for jumper to begin the big run, and Hairston nailed a 3-pointer from the baseline to cut the lead to 9-7 in favor of UNI. Tatum missed a trey and Matt Shaw went up high, grabbed the rebound and scored for SIU. Randal Falker pulled down an offensive board and scored two more points for the Salukis - which now led 11-9.
Hairston popped another 3-pointer, and Falker followed with a dunk off a Tony Young miss. Suddenly, SIU was up 17-9 with 13 minutes left in the opening half. Hairston sank yet another trey, and Brooks continued with five points of his own, and Southern had produced a 23-0 streak.
The Salukis led 25-9 with just under nine minutes to go in the first half. That impressive offensive span basically won SIU the basketball game.
UNI outscored SIU 44-36 in the second half, and the Salukis did not shoot free throws well - with the exception of Brooks (6-of-6). SIU shot 16-of-27 from the foul line, which is puzzling because it leads the MVC in free-throw shooting.
"It was a game where we missed free throws," Lowery said. "That's the only thing we haven't done this year. When you don't make them, and as well as Northern Iowa executes, they're going to come back."
Ben Jacobson scored 12 of his 18 points in the second half, but it was too little and too late for the Panthers. Freshman center Eric Coleman (6-6, 230) performed well before fouling out near the end of the contest. Coleman added 15 points and eight boards for UNI. Grant Stout scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds as well.
Northern Iowa shot just 29-percent from the field (6-for-21) in the first half. That contributed to its demise as well as the offensive rebounding of SIU.
"We did what we wanted the first few minutes of the game," said UNI head coach Greg McDermott. "You're always concerned, when you play SIU, about getting your offense off to a start because their pressure is so effective.
"We had a stretch there where we didn't score in 15 straight possessions."
Shaw scored 12 points and corralled eight rebounds for the Salukis, and Falker added seven points and 10 boards. The freshmen duo looked solid and played a crucial role in the win.
"Randal, he's been in the dog house all season, and he's never gotten out," Lowery said. "He played well, and that's how we envisioned him playing this whole year."
Hairston added, "Those young guys have done a good job playing with all the pressure that everybody's been putting on them for being such great recruits."
The Salukis host second-place Wichita State Saturday at 1 p.m. at SIU Arena. Southern can clinch the MVC title with a victory over the Shockers.
