Western Michigan edges Men's Basketball, 54-43
12/11/2011 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 11, 2011
By Tom Weber
SIUSalukis.com
KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Leading by one point with 5:28 remaining, Western Michigan went on a 10-0 run to close out a 54-43 win at Read Fieldhouse on Sunday.
Neither team shot the ball especially well in a sometimes ragged performance by both squads. The Salukis (1-5) made 28 percent of their shots, while the Broncos (2-7) were only slightly better at 36 percent.
During one particularly awkward stretch in the first half, SIU went more than 11 minutes without scoring. In that span, the team missed 13-consecutive field goals and committed nine turnovers. Mamadou Seck finally broke the gridlock with a layup at the 4:36 mark that cut Southern's deficit to 15-7.
"Our confidence on the (defensive) side was great," said head coach Chris Lowery. "We did some good things. We couldn't get anything done offensively. You have to reward yourself by scoring the basketball."
The Broncos gave Southern plenty of opportunities. They comitted 20 turnovers and shot 19 percent from 3-point range, allowing Southern to make the game interesting late.
Trailing by eight points midway through the second half, the Salukis went on an 8-1 run that featured a 3-pointer by T.J. Lindsay and a conventional 3-point play by Seck.
The duo of Lindsay and Seck were Southern's only offensive weapons, as they finished with 11 and 15 points, respectively. The rest of the team combined to put up just 17 points on 7-for-35 shooting.
"We didn't have the confidence to take or make a shot," Lowery explained. "We dribbled ourselves into trouble and that allowed (Western) to get some run-outs here and there."
Trailing, 39-38, and coming out of a timeout with possession of the ball, the Salukis settled for a 3-point attempt by freshman center Harry Whitt that caught iron. It wasn't the shot Lowery drew up in the huddle.
"We have a lot of inexperience out there and a lot of young guys taking shots that maybe we don't want them to take at certain times," he said. "You get it to one and you shoot a 3-pointer -- do we really want that? Not really. The guys who got going (Seck and Lindsay) didn't have a chance to touch the basketball."
Western proceeded to run off 10 unanswered points to secure the win.
"When we got to that point where we needed to take the game when they gave us a chance, it didn't happen for us," Lowery lamented.
Both teams were without key players. Western lost 1,000-point career scorer Flenard Whitfield to an ankle injury on Friday. Southern once again played without starters Justin Bocot (suspension) and Dantiel Daniels (groin injury).
"We're at a disadvantage and we have some guys missing, but how hard they play has not wavered," Lowery said. "We just have to get better offensively."
Lowery said there's a chance junior guard Kendal Brown-Surles will be available to play next Saturday at Northern Illinois. Last year's top 3-point shooting threat has missed all six games this season in order to focus on academics.
"We expected to have a different team right now, and we don't," Lowery said. "Offensively, after this semester, we'll have some guys and hopefully that will change everything up for us."
