Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
3-2
Mount Saint Mary's
1-4
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Saint Mary's (MD) | 36 | 27 | 63 |
| Southern Illinois | 35 | 38 | 73 |
O'Brien, Bol, Fletcher help Men's Basketball pull away from Mount St. Mary's in second half
11/21/2016 | 10:30:00 | Men's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. — After trailing by six late in the first half, Southern Illinois used its superior size to wear down a scrappy Mount St. Mary's team and pull away for a 73-63 victory — the team's third-straight win.
The starting front court of Sean O'Brien and Thik Bol dominated the action for the Salukis (3-2) in distinctly different ways.
O'Brien, a crafty 6-foot-7 forward, dished out nine assists, and although he only scored six points, he was a force on the glass, pulling down 18 rebounds. Six of his rebounds were on the offensive end, giving Southern much-needed extra possessions on a night when starting guards Mike Rodriguez and Leo Vincent were scuffling.
"(Sean) dominated the game and he only had six points," said SIU head coach Barry Hinson. "You talk about unselfish basketball."
Bol, a wiry 6-foot-8 forward, had a career night with 16 points, 12 rebounds and six blocked shots. The juco transfer is settling into his role on the team as a shot blocker and guy who cleans up misses around the rim with authority. At one point in the first half, O'Brien air-mailed a hook shot that Bol caught and and threw down with two hands.
"When you go 16 (points) and 12 (rebounds) and six blocks — I don't care who you're playing — that's pretty special," Hinson said. "We had two stat-stuffers that were pretty impressive."
The Mountaineers (1-4), who are in the middle of a 20-day, nine-game road trip, tried to offset their size disadvantage with full-court pressure. The strategy met with mixed success. They managed to speed up SIU and force 17 turnovers, but they also gave up numerous easy layups once the press was broken. O'Brien completed four length-of-the-floor passes for quick buckets.
Exactly half of Mount St. Mary's shots were from 3-point range and the deep ball kept them in the game for most of the night. The NCAA's smallest player — 5-foot-5 guard Junior Robinson converted 4-of-8 from downtown en route to an 18-point game. Forward Will Miller drained 5-of-10 from outside the arc, including a three-ball that put his team up, 34-28, with a couple minutes left before halftime. Hinson said he called out his team's defensive effort at intermission.
"I had to go a little Billy Graham fire and brimstone at halftime," he said. "I challenged the guys. I think you have to have all your seniors ready to go, and tonight we had two that weren't tuned in. The best part is they responded at halftime."
SIU absolutely dominated the glass, 45-20, including 16 offensive rebounds, making it nearly impossible for the Mountaineers to stay in the game, despite connecting on 12-of-27 treys. Although Southern's defense has been shaky at times this season, especially on the perimeter, it held Mount St. Mary's to 41 percent shooting overall.
"Our biggest goal tonight was to rebound and defend, and this was the best we defended and the best we've rebounded all year long," Hinson said.
With Rodriguez and Vincent struggling, back court mates Armon Fletcher and Sean Lloyd picked up the slack.
Fletcher rarely left the court, notching career-highs in points (19) and minutes played (39). He continues to shoot the ball well from 3-point, where he was 3-of-7.
"He's such a threat offensively from the three," Hinson said. "He's getting better at handling the basketball. We've got to get him to where he can dribble and not get picked. I thought he helped us tonight when Leo was off."
Lloyd scored nine of his career-high 11 points in the first half and helped stabilize the offense.
"Sean Lloyd came in and really gave us a spark when Leo wasn't with us," Hinson said. "The mothership came in and picked (Leo) up."
Southern led, 61-54, with 4:48 remaining in the game, but sealed the victory with a 10-1 run that started with a Fletcher layup and finished with a dunk by Bol.
After losing its first two games, Southern has righted the ship with three-straight double-digit wins. Looming on the horizon, though, is a much tougher challenge at Big Ten foe Minnesota on Friday night.
