Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
17-13
Illinois St.
22-8
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois State | 23 | 34 | 57 |
| Southern Illinois | 22 | 27 | 49 |
Redbirds spoil Senior Night for Men's Basketball
03/01/2008 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
March 1, 2008
By Tom Weber
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Osiris Eldridge scored 27 points, and Illinois State spoiled the Salukis' "Senior Night" by beating Southern Illinois, 57-49, on Saturday.
With the win, the Redbirds (22-8, 13-5) claimed the No. 2 seed in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. The loss dropped the Salukis (17-13, 11-7) into the No. 3 slot. They will play No. 6 seed Northern Iowa at 8:30 p.m. on Friday night.
Southern lost for the first time at home to an MVC opponent this season and just the second time in the last seven years. They are now 61-2 at home against MVC teams since the start of the 2001-02 season.
"I didn't realize until we started preparing to come here, that they have the record here that they have," said first-year Illinois State head coach Tim Jankovich. "That is absolutely unbelievable."
Certainly, Eldridge was not intimated by SIU's home-court record, the sold-out crowd or the high stakes of the game. He rained in clutch shots time and again, such as back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the second half that turned a tie game into a 40-34 Redbird lead.
"He was at the magic level," observed Saluki head coach Chris Lowery, whose team never came closer than four points the rest of the way.
In fact, Southern could never sustain any momentum on offense. During its recent five-game winning streak, SIU had shot 46 percent from 3-point range. Tonight, the Salukis made just 4-of-24 from behind the arc.
"We were a deer in the headlights on every catch, and we didn't want to shoot the ones that were wide open," Lowery said. "You've got to give Illinois State credit. They came here and played hard. They hit us in the mouth and we took it."
Forward Randal Falker was SIU's best offensive weapon. He recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 18 points and 14 rebounds.
"Randal was really the only one that had life," Lowery said. "He was playing with a lot of energy and emotion."
Illinois State became the first team in seven years to sweep a season series from the Salukis.
"You have to be able to come in here and match the toughness that the Salukis play with," Jankovich said. "(We are) a very competitive, hard-nose hungry basketball team and have been all year."
Five Saluki seniors -- Falker, Matt Shaw, Tyrone Green, Dion Coopwood and Jamaal Foster -- were recognized in an emotional ceremony before the game. After the game, Shaw was asked what he will remember most about playing at SIU Arena.
"This is a special place to play. I've said that all along, it's been an extremely great privilege to play here. We have great fans, great support, great students, great coaches. It's been a true pleasure to get to play here."
2008 State Farm Insurance Missouri Valley Conference Tournament
Thursday, March 6 -- Session I [No Television]
Game 1 -- #8 Indiana State (14-15, 8-10) vs. #9 Wichita State (11-19, 4-14), 6 p.m. [Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 143]
Game 2 -- #7 Missouri State (16-15, 8-10) vs. #10 Evansville (9-20, 3-15), 8:30 p.m. [Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 143]
Friday, March 7 -- Session II
Game 3 -- #1 Drake (25-4, 15-3) vs. Winner Game 1, noon [MVC TV Network, Sirius 143]
Game 4 -- #4 Creighton (20-9, 10-8) vs. #5 Bradley (17-14, 9-9), 2:30 p.m. [MVC TV Network, Sirius 143]
Friday, March 7 -- Session III
Game 5 -- #2 Illinois State (22-8, 13-5) vs. Winner of Game 2, 6 p.m. [MVC TV Network, Sirius 143]
Game 6 -- #3 Southern Illinois (17-13, 11-7) vs. #6 UNI (17-13, 9-9), 8:30 p.m. [MVC TV Network, Sirius 143]
Saturday, March 8 -- Session IV
Game 7 -- Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 1:30 p.m. [MVC TV Network, Sirius 143]
Game 8 -- Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 4 p.m. [MVC TV Network, Sirius 143]
Sunday, March 9 -- Session V
Championship -- Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 1 p.m. [CBS Sports, Sirius 143]
