Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
6-7
Drake
11-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Illinois | 22 | 29 | 51 |
| Drake | 27 | 34 | 61 |
Bulldogs drop Men's Basketball, 61-51
01/02/2008 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 2, 2008
By Tom Weber
www.SIUSalukis.com
DES MOINES, Iowa - Drake's guards were simply too quick for Southern Illinois, and the Salukis' apparent front-court advantage never materialized, as the Bulldogs entertained a packed house at the Knapp Center Wednesday night with a 61-51 win.
With the victory, the upstart Bulldogs (11-1, 2-0) snapped a 17-game losing streak to SIU and seized early control of the Missouri Valley Conference race.
Drake controlled the game by attacking SIU's trapping defense with aggressive moves to the basket. The strategy paid off, as the Salukis (6-7, 1-1) found themselves in early foul trouble trying defend the likes of guards Josh Young and Leonard Houston.
"You have to be able to attack a great defensive team like Southern Illinois," said Drake head coach Keno Davis.
The end result was 30 free throw attempts for the home team, including 10 tries by Young, who finished with a game-high 24 points.
"They haven't had a guy who is dynamic with the ball like that," Saluki head coach Chris Lowery said, referring to Young. "He's not just a catch and shoot guy, he's off the bounce. He gets to the free throw line. We let a guy get 20 on us, and that's something we hardly did last year."
Meanwhile, Southern's top two scorers, senior forwards Randal Falker and Matt Shaw, played limited minutes because of fouls, and when they were on the floor, they weren't dominant, finishing with four and eight points, respectively.
"(Falker and Shaw) have nine years of experience (between them)," said Lowery. "But by watching the game, you couldn't tell that."
Drake led 27-22 at the half and pushed the lead to a dozen with a 10-3 run to start the second.
With Falker and Shaw on the bench, SIU later rallied to cut the deficit to four, 47-43, on a three-point play by Bryan Mullins and a pair of buckets by freshman forward Carlton Fay, the last one coming on a 3-pointer with 6:43 remaining.
Drake blunted the Salukis' momentum, however, by turning up the intensity of their full-court press and causing three-straight back-court turnovers by Mullins.
"Bryan got a little fatigued," Lowery acknowledged. "We're playing four guards. You can't do that. I probably should have played some other people, because that defense wears on you."
The three turnovers, which Lowery referred to as a "meltdown," allowed Drake to score six unanswered points and push its lead to 54-43 with five minutes left. Lowery said it was the turning point in the game.
"It's a defense that is contain, contain, then they hit you with a few traps to open it up," he said. "They opened us up, and we never recovered."
The Salukis' most effective weapon was guard Wesley Clemmons, who single handedly kept his team in the game early by scoring 11 of his 13 points in the first half.
On paper, SIU appeared to have the edge in terms of front-court size, experience and point production, but neither Falker or Shaw established themselves in the paint.
