Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
11-20, 4-14MVC
Drake
9-21, 6-12MVC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drake | 25 | 32 | 57 |
| Southern Illinois | 37 | 26 | 63 |
Men's Basketball holds off Drake, 63-57
02/28/2015 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
By Tom Weber
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Anthony Beane scored 17 points and Sean O'Brien added 14, as Southern Illinois snapped a five-game losing streak, holding off Drake, 63-57, in the final regular-season game of the year.
The Salukis (11-20, 4-14) earned the No. 9 seed at next week's conference tournament and will play No. 8 Missouri State at 6 p.m. on Thursday at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. The winner advances to play No. 1 seed Wichita State at noon on Friday.
Southern got off to a fast start, building a 23-11 lead midway through the first half. Beane drew nothing but net on his first four shot attempts and three of them came from behind the 3-point line.
"They hit some shots early that got them in rhythm, and that's when you've got to be at your best (defensively)," said Drake head coach Ray Giacoletti. "You don't want to get Anthony Beane started. He can't get clean looks early and start to feel it, and we allowed that."
Beane scored all but four of his points in the first half, as the Salukis made 61 percent from the field to stake out a 37-25 halftime lead.
"This is the third half in a row we've let someone shoot 60 percent," said Giacoletti, whose team dropped to 1-15 away from home this season. "It can't take place if you want to win on the road."
O'Brien, who scored in double figures for the first time in 15 games, hit a jumper with 9:38 remaining in the game to give SIU it's biggest lead, 54-40.
"Welcome back Sean O'Brien," said Saluki head coach Barry Hinson. "That's the Sean O'Brien all along we thought he could be. He kind of just had the mentality today of, hey, forget it, I'm going to go play."
The Bulldogs (9-21, 6-12), who are the No. 7 seed and will face No. 10 Bradley in the other play-in game on Thursday, made the game interesting down the stretch, thanks to Reed Timmer.
The freshman scored a game high 25 points, and reeled off five-straight to cut the deficit to single digits with 3:50 to go. A 3-pointer by Ore Arogundade and a layup by C.J. Rivers made it a 60-54 game with 48 seconds remaining. The Salukis then turned the ball over on a 10-second count, and Drake had a chance to cut into the lead even further, but Chris Caird missed a layup and Southern was able to close out the game at the free throw line.
"When I go to the dentist, I know the outcome is going to be ok, but I just know it's going to be painful to get there," said Hinson. "That game today was a dentist game, no question about it. It was almost like a root canal. I really never thought we were going to lose the game, I just wanted to finish it better than what we did."
The Salukis snapped a six-game home losing streak to Drake, and now they will face a Missouri State team that has already beaten them twice this year.
"The team that shows up (Thursday) that's the most enthusiastic and wants to be there will win the ball game," Hinson said.
