Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
7-9, 2-3MVC
Evansville
11-4, 3-2MVC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evansville | 35 | 28 | 63 |
| Southern Illinois | 39 | 31 | 70 |
Men's Basketball tops Evansville to win second-straight game
01/10/2009 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 10, 2009
By Tom Weber
www.SIUSalukis.com
Box Score -- Photo Gallery -- Postgame Press Conference
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Bryan Mullins had a cut on the bridge of his nose, and teammate Kevin Dillard left the game twice because of cramps, but Southern Illinois held on for a 70-63 win Saturday In a rugged battle with Evansville.
Senior forward Tony Boyle was the difference for the Salukis (7-9, 2-3), recording his second-career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Virtually every shot in the game was contested, and collisions were frequent in the battle of the boards. The game featured 25 offensive rebounds, with 14 of them going to the Purple Aces (11-4, 3-2).
"That's kind of been our ticket to whatever success we've had to this point, is getting on the floor and being blue-collar," said Evansville head coach Marty Simmons.
His team jumped out to a 24-15 lead midway through the first half, using a lineup that featured only one player taller than 6-foot-5. SIU countered by playing four guards.
"You can't have bigs out there all the time, because (the Purple Aces) cut so hard," Lowery said. "That is an extremely hard-nose, physical defensive basketball team."
After Boyle softened up the inside, SIU got hot from the perimeter, closing out the half with a 24-9 run. Boyle started the run with a dunk, and Ryan Hare, Justin Bocot and Dillard each knocked down a 3-pointer during a three-minute span.
"Southern did a great job of picking the heat up a little bit," Simmons said. "We didn't handle it very well."
The Salukis scored eight-straight points to start the second half and built a 47-35 lead, as Mullins and Hare each drained triples. The Salukis again shot the ball well from downtown, making 7-of-17 shots from 3-point on the night.
"They are a team that you have to be sound on both ends of the floor in a lot of different areas to be successful, and when you're not, you get exposed," Simmons said.
SIU couldn't shake Evansville, however. Shy Ely hit a 3-pointer and a short jumper on successive possessions to close the gap to 62-57 with 4:21 to go. He finished with a game-high 22 points.
"Shy Ely -- he's a handful," Saluki head coach Chris Lowery said. "He's a terrific mid-range player. He's a throw-back."
After a pair of free throws by Hare, Ely hit another jumper, and Jason Holsinger made two free throws to cut it to 64-61 with 2:30 remaining.
Dillard then hit a clutch shot for Southern with the shot clock winding down to push the lead back to five.
"Two games in a row, our freshmen are doing things in the clutch situations to help us win games," Lowery said. "If they can stay consistent like that and understand what it means to go all-out on a defensive play or offensive set or late-game situation, it will obviously help us in the future."
After Holsinger missed a 3-pointer with 55 seconds left, Mullins hit Wesley Clemmons for a layup to give SIU a 68-61 lead with 44 seconds to go. Mullins finished with eight points, seven rebounds and five steals.
Lowery said the game was a valuable experience for his young club, which has won two-straight after losing its first three conference games.
"We needed to play Evansville and to see how to play hard all the time," he said. "They force you to play hard with how hard they cut and how tough they are defensively."
