Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Men's Basketball hosts Evansville on Saturday night
01/09/2009 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 9, 2009
Southern Illinois (6-9, 1-3) hosts Evansville (11-3, 3-1) at 7 p.m. on Saturday. Good seats still available. Call 1-877-SALUKIS (877-725-8547) or buy at the door.
Salukis Set 3-Point Shooting Record
SIU made 8-of-10 (.800) 3-point shots at Wichita State on Jan. 7 to set the school record for best percentage from outside the arc. The previous best was .750 and was accomplished three times, most recently on Feb. 17, 2001, when Southern made 9-of-12 triples at Northern Iowa.
SIU 6th in Nation in 3-Point Shooting
The Salukis have had no trouble adjusting to the new 3-point line. In fact, the team ranks 6th in the nation in 3-point percentage out of 343 teams, shooting at a 41.3 percent clip. California leads the nation at 50.5. Last year, SIU made 34.0 percent from behind the arc.
Kevin Dillard Leads MVC in 3-Point Shooting
G Kevin Dillard (6-0, 160, Fr.) is shooting 53.4 percent from 3-point range this season to lead the MVC. He is the team's leading scorer (12.1 ppg) and the highest-scoring freshman in the league this year. Dillard is also 4th in the Valley in assists (4.1 apg)
Bryan Mullins Breaks Assist Record
On Jan. 4 versus Drake, G Bryan Mullins (6-1, 185, Sr.) broke SIU's career assist record, held by Wayne Abrams since 1979. Mullins currently has 473 career assists. He ranks 12th in MVC history in that category.
Mullins 32nd in Nation in Assists
Through games of Jan. 7, Mullins leads the MVC and ranks 32nd in the nation in assists with 5.9 apg. Brock Young of East Carolina is first at 7.9 apg. Mullins tied the school single-game record for assists with 13 against UMass on Nov. 12. He also leads the MVC in assist-turnover ratio (3.1-1).
Dramatic Swings
The Salukis have either won or lost by large margins. In their six wins, they've won by an average of 11.8 points. In their nine losses, they've lost by an average of 12.3 points. Of SIU's 14 games, only one was decided by less than seven points.
Carlton Fay a Frontcourt Force
F Carlton Fay (6-8, 225, So.) is second on the Salukis in scoring at 11.9 ppg. Fay averaged 2.4 ppg last year, laboring behind two of the best big men in school history -- Randal Falker and Matt Shaw. Fay ranks among the league leaders in scoring (12th) and free throw percentage 5th), 3-point percentage (13th) and field goal percentage (15th).
Series Versus Evansville
The Salukis lead the all-time series, 60-46. They have won three-straight meetings and 19 of the last 22. SIU has won the last seven meetings at home and is 25-9 all-time against the Purple Aces at SIU Arena.
Hare On Fire From FT Line
G Ryan Hare (6-4, 200, Fr.) has made 10-straight free throw attempts. He ranks second in the league in free throw shooting at .897. Hare is coming off a career-high 18-point performance at Wichita State.
