Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
5-4
Southeast Missouri
5-4
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Illinois | 33 | 21 | 54 |
| Southeast Missouri State | 29 | 26 | 55 |
Men's Basketball drops heartbreaker at SEMO, 55-54
12/10/2014 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
By Tom Weber
SIUSalukis.com
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Jarekious Bradley hit a buzzer-beating fadeaway jumper from the right baseline over the out-stretched arm of defender Jalen Pendleton, lifting SEMO to a dramatic 55-54 win over Southern Illinois on Wednesday night.
The Redhawks (5-4) claimed their first victory since 2000 in the long-standing series between the two schools and won for just the second time in the last 14 meetings.
"We work on it every day -- an isolation play," said a jubilant SEMO head coach Dickey Nutt. "There was a mismatch there. We cleared everybody out and 0.8 seconds is plenty of time to catch it and shoot it."
The Salukis (5-4) came tantalizingly close to securing the win during the frantic final minute of play. First, Anthony Beane hit a running jumper in the lane to put SIU up, 54-51, with 51 seconds remaining. Next, SEMO's Antonius Cleveland missed the front end of a 1-and-1, giving the ball back to the Salukis. Beane then missed a 3-pointer with 13 seconds to go, and Calvin Johnson sank two free throws with four seconds to cut the Redhawks' deficit to 54-53.
"I wish Anthony wouldn't have settled for the three there at the end -- I wish he would have attacked the paint," lamented SIU head coach Barry Hinson. "But all we had to do was (safely) inbound the ball."
Instead, SIU forward Sean O'Brien threw a baseball pass three-fourths the length of the floor intended for Pendleton. The ball ended up back in O'Brien's hands near the center court line, where he was called for an over-and-back violation that gave the ball back to SEMO with 0.8 seconds remaining.
After a timeout, Bradley posted up in the paint, received the in-bounds pass from Isiah Jones, and spun around for the game-winner. His teammates mobbed him on the floor while the officials confirmed the ruling using instant replay.
Hinson said he regretted not calling a timeout with four seconds to go to set up a better in-bounds play.
"I cost us this ballgame," he said. "We felt like we didn't want to let them set (the defense) up...why Sean made that pass, I have no idea."
Bradley finished with 17 points to lead the Redhawks, and his last-second heroics overshadowed another big night by Beane. The junior guard scored 22 points and was SIU's only player in double figures. He hit a pair of clutch baskets in the final two minutes to give Southern the lead after it had fallen behind by four points.
The Salukis shot 8-of-23 from the field in the second half and half of the buckets came from Beane.
"I thought the second half we basically controlled the game," said Nutt. "I thought our matchup zone kind of gave them a few problems. Then, one of the best players comes to the forefront, and that's Anthony Beane. He got loose for a couple shots and next thing you know they've got a four-point lead."
SIU jumped out to a fast start in the game, making five of its first six shots from 3-point to build a 13-point margin. They made only one of their next dozen 3-point tries, though, and the Redhawks steadily chipped away at the deficit, cutting it to four at halftime and grabbing their first lead on a dunk by Jones with 8:20 to go.
Southern struggled to match up with SEMO's two big men -- Aaron Adeyoe and Nino Johnson. Adeyoe scored 14 points, while Johnson grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked four shots.
The Salukis held the Redhawks to 39 percent shooting, but for the eighth time in nine games, SIU was out-scored in the second half.
Hinson said there were positives to take away from the loss.
"I think our guys learned that when we're down four in a really critical point in the game we can come back and take a lead," he said.
