Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
11-15, 6-9MVC
Creighton
21-6, 11-4MVC
Creighton hands Men's Basketball 82-60 loss
02/14/2009 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 14, 2009
By Tom Weber
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Creighton led by 23 at the half and coasted to an 82-60 victory Saturday, ending a seven-game losing streak at SIU Arena in front of a season-best crowd of 9,081.
The Salukis (11-15, 6-9) barely resembled the club that arguably should have won the game at Creighton on Jan. 14, but instead lost it in overtime.
Much has changed for both teams since then. SIU lost its heart and soul when guard Bryan Mullins fractured his right foot two weeks ago. The Bluejays (21-6, 11-4) have won five-straight games and have gelled into a cohesive 10-man rotation.
Trailing 3-0, Creighton exposed Southern's inexperienced back court, converting four layups and two jumpers during a 12-0 run that set the tone for the game.
"With Chris (Lowery) being down to eight players, we wanted to push the tempo and look for some things," said Creighton coach Dana Altman. "We got some easy baskets in transition, which really kind of got them on their heels."
The Bluejays out-shot Southern 57-26 percent in the half, pulling out to a 42-19 lead.
"When a team gets on their heels, they lose their aggressiveness, and I think that's what happened in the first half," Altman said.
Southern is a program noted for its tenacious defense and frequent fouls, yet SIU didn't commit a foul in the game until Wesley Clemmons reached in with 9:11 left in the first half.
"Emotionally, we were a mess," said Saluki head coach Chris Lowery. "We have to depend on too many young guys for them to understand how cut-in they have to be to start a game and start a half."
Creighton had as balanced an attack as you could imagine with five players in double figures and 31 points off the bench. No player logged more than 25 minutes on the afternoon.
"We ran into a buzzsaw," Lowery said. "They're good. They have good players. They have good depth."
The Salukis out-scored the Bluejays in the second half, but that was of little comfort to Lowery as SIU gave up 80 or more points in back-to-back games for the first time since December of 2000.
"It's on me," he said. "I couldn't get them ready to play two games in a row."
