Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
10-13, 5-7MVC
Illinois State
19-4, 8-4MVC
| Team | 1 | 2 | OT 1 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois State | 17 | 32 | 11 | 60 |
| Southern Illinois | 25 | 24 | 8 | 57 |
Men's Basketball loses heartbreaker in overtime to Illinois State
02/04/2009 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 4, 2009
By Tom Weber
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - In a devastating span of 35 seconds late in regulation, Saluki point guard Kevin Dillard was whistled for three fouls -- two offensive -- fouling out of the game at a critical juncture for Southern Illinois.
In the wake of senior guard Bryan Mullins' recent injury, the Salukis had no point guard. The end result for Southern Illinois -- it surrendered a seven-point lead and eventually lost in overtime to Illinois State, 60-57.
Dillard carried the Salukis (10-13, 5-7) much of the night, scoring 20 points -- 16 of them in the second half. When he abruptly fouled out at the 1:08 mark, a chorus of boos reigned down on the court from the partisan home crowd.
"The refs said we fouled in the clutch, so that's what happened, and that's why he's out," said Saluki head coach Chris Lowery. "We have to play without fouling."
The Redbirds (19-4, 8-4) made five free throws to send the game to overtime, and they finished the night 19-of-19 from the stripe. They won despite shooting just 36 percent from the floor and committing 21 turnovers.
"I don't know that I have ever been with a team in all the years that I can ever remember that we shot this many free throws and made them all," said Illinois State head coach Tim Jankovich.
With its top two scorers on the bench -- forward Carlton Fay also fouled out -- the Salukis pulled ahead in OT, 57-56, on a pair of free throws by Justin Bocot with 38 seconds left.
The lead was short-lived, as Dinma Odiakosa tapped in a missed shot by Champ Oguchi with 23 seconds to go.
Bocot's driving layup with 13 seconds rimmed out, and Oguchi made two free throws with 10 seconds left to give the Redbirds a three-point lead. Bocot had an open look from the left corner to tie it at the buzzer, but missed.
"If Kevin Dillard is in there (in overtime), you think it's different, because you have your ballhandler," Lowery said. "You can't complain. We had chances, and we didn't stop them when we needed to."
Southern Illinois found life without Mullins -- the school's career assist leader -- hard to handle, as it generated six assists while committing 20 turnovers on the night.
"Bryan's over there dying, knowing that if he's in this game, we're not having 20 turnovers," Lowery said. "We have to play without him the rest of the way, probably, and they have to continue to learn and get better."
With a roster of eight healthy players that includes four freshmen and a first-year sophomore, the Salukis were more than competitive, playing spirited defense, especially in the first half, when they took a 25-17 halftime lead.
"With Mullins' injury, I thought they would rally, and they did," Jankovich said. "They played like I thought they would. It was almost good enough, but I was very impressed with them tonight."
