Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
12-3, 3-1
Northern Iowa
13-2, 4-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Illinois | 23 | 38 | 61 |
| Northern Iowa | 25 | 41 | 66 |
Men's Basketball falls to Northern Iowa, 66-61
01/06/2007 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 6, 2007
By Tom Weber
www.SIUSalukis.com
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - Northern Iowa defended its home court and remained the only unbeaten team in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 66-61 win over Southern Illinois on Saturday. Neither team led by more than single digits, and the Panthers protected a late lead by making 12-of-15 free throws in the final four minutes of the game.
Momentum swayed back and forth in the first half with nine lead changes and three ties in a contest between the co-leaders of the MVC.
Early in the second half, the Salukis (12-3, 3-1) took their biggest lead, 34-29, behind seven-straight points from Jamaal Tatum. All of the points by the senior guard came on drives to the basket, where he either scored or was fouled.
When Tatum made two free throws at the 13:25 mark to finish the scoring burst, the Panthers were already over the limit with seven fouls.
"We allowed them to get on our hip and turn the corner and get to the basket a few times, and we fouled them," said Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson. "I was looking for something to complain about at that time, but they just beat us to the basket."
Southern Illinois never capitalized on the home team's foul trouble, however. Instead, momentum switched to the Panthers (13-2, 4-0), when Adam Viet hit a 3-pointer on UNI's next possession. That bucket started a 15-3 Panthers' run during the ensuing eight minutes.
Viet finished with 10 points off the bench for Northern Iowa, which had a 20-4 advantage in bench scoring.
"We did a good enough job on the starters," said Saluki head coach Chris Lowery, whose team held UNI marquee forwards Grant Stout and Eric Coleman to 25 points combined. "But when you get that 20 off the bench, that really decided the game. We let their guys come in and make plays like they were starters."
Other unsung heroes for the Panthers were guards Jared Josten and Brooks McCowen. Josten only averages six points, but he scored 12 and had a couple of nifty shot-fakes and pull-up jumpers that keyed UNI's second-half run.
"He wouldn't do that last year," Jacobson said. "He wouldn't make those kind of plays."
McCowen, the Panthers' senior point guard, was only 1-of-6 from the field but distributed six assists with only two turnovers. UNI committed just 10 turnovers against Southern's trademark man-to-man pressure.
"We get into some late shot clock situations today, and somebody has to get the ball to the right spot, and he did it," Jacobson said.
"He did the best job of handling our pressure, he's ever done," added Lowery.
Tatum, who finished with a game-high 18 points, and Randal Falker, who had 17 points and 10 rebounds, helped the Salukis make a late comeback. In fact, had a Wesley Clemmons' 3-pointer gone down with 18 seconds remaining in the game, the Salukis would have drawn to within two points.
It was too little, too late, though.
"We stood around and let them dictate, in the last 10 minutes of the game, how we were going to play offensively," said Lowery.
The Panthers remained undefeated in their new home -- the McLeod Center -- improving to 7-0. The near-capacity crowd of 6,731 made the arena considerably louder than the UNI Dome, where Northern used to play its games.
"There was probably four or five trips in the second half where the fans were up and going," Jacobson said. "We wouldn't get that in the dome. They knew we needed them. Each time Southern crossed half court, they were up and going. Our fans are awesome."
Lowery said UNI's players had more of an effect on his team than the home crowd.
"The atmosphere was great, but that didn't decide the game," Lowery said. "We're too mature to let that happen. They executed and got some (baskets) on us."
The Salukis have played 10 of their 15 games away from home this season, and today's game came on the heels of a hard-fought win at Drake two nights ago in Des Moines. Meanwhile, Northern Iowa was playing at home for the third time in four conference games and had an extra day of rest before playing SIU.
"It didn't matter that they had another day," Lowery said. "That didn't decide the game. We don't ever give our kids a chance to make excuses on why we lost."
Jacobson said it was critical that his team defend its home court.
"The league is too good from top to bottom to think you're going to drop a couple home games and go and pick up a couple wins (on the road)," he said. "That's not going to happen."
