Southern Illinois University
14-5, 7-2MVC
Illinois St.
7-10, 2-7MVC
Men's Basketball downs Illinois State, 56-44
01/22/2006 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 22, 2006
By Tom Weber
www.SIUSalukis.com
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CARBONDALE, Ill. - It wasn't a Picasso, but the Salukis will take the victory.
Southern Illinois had to scramble Sunday to win its nation-leading 32nd-straight home game, beating Illinois State, 56-44, behind 21 points and nine rebounds from Matt Shaw.
The Salukis (14-5, 7-2) never trailed in the game, but the scrappy Redbirds, who are winless on the road this season, pulled to within 32-30 on a Dana Ford layup with 13:12 remaining.
That's when SIU answered with a 9-0 run to effectively put the game out of reach.
"The thing about Southern is they never get uneasy," Redbirds coach Porter Moser said. "They think they are going to win the whole time. Southern never plays on their heels."
The run started with a pull-up jumper by Bryan Mullins and included a 3-pointer by Jamaal Tatum, and layups by Shaw and Tony Boyle. Illinois State made three turnovers during the span.
"Whenever you face Southern, you are going to see the same thing," Moser added. "You are going to see physical defense and guys that believe they are going to win, no matter what the score is."
Both teams entered the game ranked among the leaders in the Missouri Valley Conference in points allowed -- SIU is first, ISU is third. True to form, the contest was a defensive slugfest.
The Redbirds (7-10, 2-7) pressured Southern into 10 first-half turnovers, while holding the Salukis to 37 percent shooting from the field in the half. SIU turned the tables in the second half, limiting the visitors to 37 percent.
"They guarded us, and they played physical and they out-toughed us in the first half," Saluki head coach Chris Lowery said. "But we started playing a little harder down the stretch."
"I thought our defense is what was keeping us in the game, even though we were throwing the ball all over the gym," Moser added.
The Salukis were aided by 15 offensive rebounds, the most they've grabbed this season since getting 22 at Wyoming on Dec. 3.
"There were possessions were it seemed like we were defending 90 seconds in a row," Moser said.
Southern's only consistent offensive threat in the game was Shaw. The 6-foot-7 forward showed his versatility, knocking down 3-of-4 shots from 3-point range, while also taking it hard to hoop from the low block.
After struggling from the perimeter earlier this season, Shaw has quickened his release and improved his accuracy. In the last five games, he's made 11-of-17 from beyond the arc.
"We knew he could shoot it," Moser said. "We talked about it before the game. We talked about it for the last three days. We just gave him wide open looks, and he can knock them down."
"Randal (Falker) draws a lot of attention inside, which allows me to get open a lot easier," Shaw said.
Tatum, Southern's leading scorer, showed signs of coming out of his recent shooting slump, scoring 12 points on 4-of-8 from the field. After the game, he needed ice on his knee and ankle -- injuries that resulted from a pair of collisions that took place in the first half.
"He is banged up right now, but we can't allow that to hinder his mind-set and his play," Lowery said. "That's what happens when people go at you. There is no free rushing the lane, there is no free layups."
The Salukis remained in a four-way tie for first place in the MVC because Wichita State, Creighton and Northern Iowa all won this weekend.
"Four teams in first place now -- that's crazy," Lowery said. "But that's what makes the league so special, and it's a great league."
Southern also tied the Missouri Valley Conference record for consecutive, home conference wins with 41, equalling the mark set by Oklahoma State (1936-42) and Cincinnati (1957-64). SIU will have an opportunity to break the record at home on Tuesday when it hosts Creighton at 7 p.m.
Honored at today's game was the 1976-77 squad that advanced to the Sweet 16, as well as other players from the Paul Lambert-coaching era.
Lowery said his team enjoyed visiting with the former Salukis yesterday after practice, and Shaw said they provided inspiration for the game.
"Coach told us a couple times to play hard for the people who paved to way for us," Shaw said. "We respect them a lot, and we appreciate them coming out here."
