Tuesday, November 21
Louisville, Ky.
6:00 PM
Southern Illinois University
2-1
42
at
84
Louisville
3-0
1
2
F
SIU
18
24
42
LOUISVILLE
29
55
84
Photo by: Tom Weber
Louisville pulls away in second half for 84-42 win over Men's Basketball
11/21/2017 | 8:53:00 | Men's Basketball
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A withering Louisville defense held Southern Illinois to 26 percent shooting, as the No. 18-ranked Cardinals doubled up SIU, 84-42, on Tuesday night at the KFC Yum! Center.
The Salukis (2-1) missed their first 11 shots and that was a sign of things to come in the fifth-worst shooting night in school history. The Cardinals (3-0) led by 48 points with less than a minute to go, and only a pair of 3-pointers by Armon Fletcher in the final 46 seconds kept SIU from the program's biggest margin of defeat.
Both teams struggled with their shooting touch in the first half, as Louisville missed 14 of its first 15 shots. The Cardinals were coming off back-to-back games where they didn't shoot well in wins over George Mason and Omaha, but after building an 11-point halftime lead, Louisville came out blazing in the second half.
They outscored the Salukis, 55-24, in the final 20 minutes, as all 11 players made at least one basket. They shot 59 percent from the field in the second half, including 7-of-14 from downtown. Jordan Nwora (18) and Deng Adel (16) were the top scorers.
"We knew David (Padgett) had challenged them over what had happened the previous two games," SIU head coach Barry Hinson said. "None of that was a surprise. The surprise was that our guys just quit playing. I did not see that coming."
Louisville's size and athleticism overwhelmed SIU's back court. Southern's guards combined to shoot 7-of-39 from the field. The Cardinals switched between man-to-man, zone and full-court pressure, and on the rare occasion a defender was beaten, Louisville's rim protectors were there and blocked nine shots.
"Defense has been the staple of this program for a long time," said Padgett, the program's interim head coach. "They're not letting their offense affect their defense. They're continuing to defend and rebound."
The Salukis missed 18 of their first 19 looks from 3-point before Fletcher buried the final two. The junior guard, who has battled a minor knee injury, had a team-high 14 points.
Southern did get some offensive output from its centers. Kavion Pippen had 10 points on 5-of-13 shooting, and Rudy Stradnieks had a career-high eight points. It was not enough to offset the perimeter struggles.
Hinson said he still believes this is his best 3-point shooting team.
"I may have to take those words back," he said. "But I still think these guys can shoot. We haven't in the last two games — our numbers are atrocious. We need to get in the gym."
The Salukis lost their 10th-straight game to a ranked opponent. The last time SIU beat a Top 25 team was a home win over Wichita State in 2013.
Hinson promised his team would not quit again this season.
"That's on me as a head coach and I promise you we'll take care of it before we set foot on the floor next time," he said.
The Salukis (2-1) missed their first 11 shots and that was a sign of things to come in the fifth-worst shooting night in school history. The Cardinals (3-0) led by 48 points with less than a minute to go, and only a pair of 3-pointers by Armon Fletcher in the final 46 seconds kept SIU from the program's biggest margin of defeat.
Both teams struggled with their shooting touch in the first half, as Louisville missed 14 of its first 15 shots. The Cardinals were coming off back-to-back games where they didn't shoot well in wins over George Mason and Omaha, but after building an 11-point halftime lead, Louisville came out blazing in the second half.
They outscored the Salukis, 55-24, in the final 20 minutes, as all 11 players made at least one basket. They shot 59 percent from the field in the second half, including 7-of-14 from downtown. Jordan Nwora (18) and Deng Adel (16) were the top scorers.
"We knew David (Padgett) had challenged them over what had happened the previous two games," SIU head coach Barry Hinson said. "None of that was a surprise. The surprise was that our guys just quit playing. I did not see that coming."
Louisville's size and athleticism overwhelmed SIU's back court. Southern's guards combined to shoot 7-of-39 from the field. The Cardinals switched between man-to-man, zone and full-court pressure, and on the rare occasion a defender was beaten, Louisville's rim protectors were there and blocked nine shots.
"Defense has been the staple of this program for a long time," said Padgett, the program's interim head coach. "They're not letting their offense affect their defense. They're continuing to defend and rebound."
The Salukis missed 18 of their first 19 looks from 3-point before Fletcher buried the final two. The junior guard, who has battled a minor knee injury, had a team-high 14 points.
Southern did get some offensive output from its centers. Kavion Pippen had 10 points on 5-of-13 shooting, and Rudy Stradnieks had a career-high eight points. It was not enough to offset the perimeter struggles.
Hinson said he still believes this is his best 3-point shooting team.
"I may have to take those words back," he said. "But I still think these guys can shoot. We haven't in the last two games — our numbers are atrocious. We need to get in the gym."
The Salukis lost their 10th-straight game to a ranked opponent. The last time SIU beat a Top 25 team was a home win over Wichita State in 2013.
Hinson promised his team would not quit again this season.
"That's on me as a head coach and I promise you we'll take care of it before we set foot on the floor next time," he said.
Team Stats
SIU
LOU
FG%
.266
.449
3FG%
.143
.308
FT%
.556
.933
RB
40
49
TO
16
8
STL
4
8
Game Leaders
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
5
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
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