Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
21-9 (10-7MVC)
Illinois St.
18-12 (12-5MVC)
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Illinois | 15 | 35 | 50 |
| Illinois State | 36 | 37 | 73 |
Illinois State rolls past Men's Basketball, 73-50
02/24/2016 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State secured one of the top three seeds at next week's Missouri Valley Conference tournament by overwhelming Southern Illinois on Wednesday night, 73-50. ISU opened the game with a 17-0 run, led by as many as 23 points in the first half, and cruised to victory on Senior Night in front of a crowd of 6,052.
The Redbirds (18-14, 12-5) have been one of the league's hottest teams in the second half of the season, winning eight of their last 10. They are tied for second place with Evansville, two games ahead of SIU and Northern Iowa, with one game remaining in the regular season.
Paris Lee led ISU with 21 points, while DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell added 16, but it was a suffocating defense that set the tone for the game. Southern was held to just 15 first-half points -- the second fewest in the history of Redbird Arena -- and committed a dozen first-half turnovers.
"I think they're without question the most athletic team in the league," said SIU coach Barry Hinson. "When they guard, rebound and run the way they're capable of doing, they can beat anybody."
The Salukis (21-9, 10-7) lost for the sixth time in their last nine outings. They know their MVC post-season fate -- securing a slot in the 4-5 game versus Northern Iowa on March 4 at 2:35 p.m. at the Scottrade Center.
Very little went right for Southern tonight. The starting back court was 2-for-16 from the field, contributing to an overall 31 percent shooting performance. Southern was ice cold from 3-point range, connecting on just 2-of-18.
"We really executed the defensive gameplan," said Redbirds head coach Dan Muller. "Southern clearly did not have their best night. We were good enough and locked-in enough to take advantage."
It was a rough homecoming for SIU senior guard Anthony Beane, a native of Normal, who originally signed with Illinois State before joining his father at SIU. The league's second-leading scorer, was 1-for-8 from the field and scored two points. He was locked down much of the night by 6-foot-4 guard Tony Wills.
"I think length bothers Anthony -- I think it bothers anybody on our team," Hinson said. "We're tiny guards. This is a very difficult game for Anthony to play. He's never performed well in this building for obvious reasons. I think he pushes himself a little too hard. I will be shocked if he doesn't have an unbelievable game Saturday."
Illinois State extended a 21-point halftime lead to as much as 26 points in the second half. The closest the Salukis came was 17 points on a tip-in by Sean O'Brien early in the second half. He led Southern with 14 points. Armon Fletcher was a bright spot off the bench, matching his career high with 13 points and adding seven rebounds.
"I do think he gave us some spark and he gives us a little bit of length," Hinson said.
For the first time this year, starting guards Mike Rodriguez and Tyler Smithpeters did not start a half. They were replaced in the lineup in the second half by Fletcher and Leo Vincent.
"I think it's probably time to shake up the lineup," Hinson said. "(You) can't ever let guys get too comfortable."
While Southern's offense has struggled throughout most of the month of February, Hinson noted that league champion Wichita State also scored just 50 points at Illinois State.
"At that time they were the 25th-ranked team in the country and they came in to this building and scored 50 points," he said. "We're only ranked No. 1 in our mother's hearts."
The Salukis wrap up the regular season on Saturday with a special Senior Night celebration prior to the 7 p.m. game versus Missouri State.
"I've been coaching 35 years and I'm not a bragging kind of guy -- I have great confidence that I can get these guys' confidence back," Hinson stated.
