Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
17-6 (8-3)
Northern Iowa
16-7 (7-5)
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Illinois | 32 | 29 | 61 |
| Northern Iowa | 35 | 32 | 67 |
Men's Basketball Beaten by Northern Iowa, 67-61
02/05/2005 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 5, 2005
By Tom Weber
www.SIUSalukis.com
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - Southern Illinois rallied from an 11-point deficit, but missed its last four shots, allowing Northern Iowa to slip away with a 67-61 win. The loss dropped Southern to 17-6 on the season and 8-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference, a game-and-a-half behind league-leading Wichita State.
Trailing 63-61 with 25 seconds remaining, SIU's Tony Young missed a 3-pointer from the left corner that would have given Southern the lead. Randal Falker grabbed the offensive rebound for the Salukis, but his put back was smothered by UNI's.Grant Stout.
Stout was fouled by Matt Shaw and made a pair of free throws for Northern Iowa to give the Panthers a 65-61 lead with 16 seconds left.
Darren Brooks then missed a three for Southern, and UNI's Ben Jacobson sealed the victory with a rebound and a pair of free throws with five seconds remaining.
Saluki head coach Chris Lowery said the Panthers' interior toughness -- they outrebounded SIU 42-31 -- was the difference in the game. UNI pulled down 14 offensive rebounds on the evening.
"When you don't rebound and you give them chances over and over, they have a team that can score the basketball," Lowery said. "Our big guys really struggled. We just tipped the ball. We didn't grab it."
Stout was the biggest factor inside for Northern Iowa, pulling down 11 boards. SIU's starting frontcourt of Josh Warren and Matt Shaw totalled 10 rebounds, though Shaw was a force on offense, scoring 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field.
Southern trailed through most of the game, but always stayed withing striking distance. The Salukis took their first lead of the contest, 44-43, on a jumper by LaMar Owen with 14:49 remaining.
That lead was short-lived as Northern Iowa answered with five-straight points by Erik Crawford. He scored on a breakaway layup and then hit a 3-pointer.
The Salukis battled back to tie the game, 48-48, on a jumper by Stetson Hairston, but UNI backup center Jon Godfread answered at the other end with a baseline jumper. Godfread came into the game averaging less than two points, but finished with eight on the evening.
SIU tied the game again, 51-51, on a 3-pointer by Jamaal Tatum, and appeared to make a defensive stop on UNI's next possession. The Panthers' Eric Coleman tossed up an air ball that was batted around before squirting out of bounds back to UNI. The Panthers eventually scored on a pair of free throws by Brooks McKowen and never relinquished the lead thereafter.
"It's a situation where if (guards) Stetson (Hairston) or Darren (Brooks) don't get clutch rebounds, we don't get them," Lowery said. "To continue to be successful, our big guys have to step up and rebound."
Brooks and Hairston led the Salukis in scoring with 14 and 13 points, respectively.
SIU made one last rally, coming as close as one, 62-61, on a 3-pointer by Brooks with 1:11 left. However, the Salukis could not make another field goal the rest of the way.
"I thought we had a chance to win the ballgame," Lowery said, "But we have to do the small things."
Northern Iowa had a "Pack the Dome" ticket special for the game, with buy-one-get-one-free for adults, and kids 18-and-under free. The game drew a season-high 7,163 fans.
"(UNI) came with a lot of energy," Lowery said. "It was a great atmosphere. They did a tremendous job of marking this game."
The Salukis bussed to Des Moines, Iowa after the game, where they will play Drake on Monday.
