Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
7-8
Bradley
7-9
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bradley | 27 | 37 | 64 |
| Southern Illinois | 45 | 32 | 77 |
Men's Basketball motivated during win over Bradley, 77-64
01/08/2008 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 8, 2008
By Tom Weber
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - If Southern Illinois reasserts itself in the Missouri Valley Conference race, the preseason league favorites may look back to tonight's Bradley game as the turning point.
The Salukis (8-9, 2-2) played perhaps their best half of basketball on the season in the first half against the Braves (7-9, 0-4) and then held on for a 77-64 win.
Losers of eight of 11 games, SIU looked more like last year's Sweet 16 team as it built a 45-27 halftime lead. The Salukis forced a dozen first-half turnovers and capitalized on those Bradley mistakes by scoring 19 points. Easy buckets were plentiful, and Southern shot a season-high 67 percent from the field in the first half.
Head coach Chris Lowery said he sensed a change in his team's attitude during yesterday's practice, which was preceded by a heart-to-heart talk between the coach and his team.
"We have 10 guys that played in a Sweet 16 game last year, and I told them we need to act like it," Lowery said of Monday's team meeting.
The biggest problem of late, according to the fourth-year head coach, was the team's energy level.
"We're not running into the bleachers and diving on the floor enough," he said. "That's what we established yesterday."
Said senior forward Matt Shaw, who scored a game-high 18 points, "We kind of looked ourselves in the mirror and realized what he said was true."
Much of the team's struggles lately seem related to confidence. Ever since losing on a buzzer-beating shot to Butler two weeks ago, SIU has played uncharacteristically passive.
"It's understanding where we've been, the legacy that's been established," Lowery said. "Our confidence level should never waver just because of a basket. We've been through too many wars."
Lowery accepted his share of responsibility for the team's recent play and said he has made strategic changes on both offense and defense.
"We have to be smart, and I can't be stubborn," Lowery said. "Hopefully, we've done some things to help them."
Surprisingly, two of SIU's most productive players on the night were reserves Tyrone Green and Carlton Fay. With 12 and 11 points, respectively, they both recorded career highs.
Green entered the game shooting 27 percent from the field, and Lowery said he has encouraged the athletic senior guard not to settle for jump shots.
"He learned to listen," Lowery said. "I told him to quit shooting jumpers and get to the rim."
Teams have laid off Green in the past, instead double-teaming Shaw and Randal Falker in the post.
"We have to look to drive, hit the seams and create open looks for other people," Green said. "If we cut hard and make the defense shift, it opens up things for everybody else. We have to play off Matt and Randal inside."
Fay, a true freshman who is showing signs of getting the hang of SIU's complex system, made all but one of his shots from 3-point range.
"As a freshman, you're never going to be great at what we do," Lowery said. "But if you can maintain a level of consistency where I can trust you on the floor..."
Another key to the victory was splendid free throw shooting. An Achilles heel at times this year, Southern made 20-of-21 tries, including 11-straight late in the game after Bradley had cut the lead to eight points.
The Salukis are 0-5 on the road this year and will play their next two games at Indiana State and Evansville. They hope Lowery's speech during Monday's meeting has a lingering effect.
"He was trying to wake us up and make us realize we're not as bad as people think," Green said.
