Men's Basketball looks to snap streak at Northern Iowa

Wednesday, February 8

Cedar Falls, Ia.

7:00 PM

Southern Illinois University

Northern Iowa

02/07/2017 | 5:48:00 | Men's Basketball

Watch Listen Live Stats Game Notes

By: By Tom Weber, SIUSalukis.com

Southern Illinois (14-11, 7-5) plays at Northern Iowa (11-12, 6-6) on Wednesday night in Cedar Falls, Iowa in a game that will be broadcast live on ESPN3. The Panthers have won 13-straight at home against the Salukis, including a 10-0 mark at the McLeod Center. SIU's last win in Cedar Falls was at the UNI Dome in 2003, when the Bruce Weber-coached Salukis made 14 3-pointers to win, 88-78, in overtime. Kent Williams and Darren Brooks combined to make 9-of-13 shots from 3-point.

First meeting vs. UNI
   Northern Iowa used a 16-3 run to overcome a 12-point deficit in the final six minutes and beat Southern Illinois, 58-57, on Jan. 21 in Carbondale. SIU missed 10 of its final 11 shots from the field.

Sean O'Brien makes his mark in Saluki record book
   F Sean O'Brien (6-7, 215, Sr.) is putting the finishing touches on a stellar career as a four-year starter for SIU.
•Ranks 30th in career scoring (1,157)
•Ranks 12th in career rebounds (727)
•Ranks 12th in career blocks (70)
•Ranks 9th in career starts (114), including 91-straight.
•Seven double-doubles on the season, giving him 16 in his career. It's the most double-doubles in a season by a Saluki since Jeff Early had eight in 2013.

Measuring Mike Rodriguez impact on Saluki offense
   How big of an impact has PG Mike Rodriguez (5-10, 165, Sr.) had on SIU's offense? Consider these stats.
•He has either scored (91) or recorded an assist (111) on 32 percent of SIU's field goals.
•By comparison, All-Conference G Anthony Beane either scored or recorded an assist on 32 percent of SIU's field goals last year.
•His 2.09 assist-TO ratio currently stands as the third-best single-season mark in school history. Bryan Mullins (3.26 in 2009) holds the school record.
•Rodriguez is 17-for-39 (.436) from 3-point in the last 10 games. In the preceding six games, he was 0-for-11.

Trends
•Mike Rodriguez and Sean O'Brien have combined for 28 of SIU's 41 assists (68 percent) in the last three games.
•The Salukis have shot better than 60 percent from the field during the second half in each of their last three games.
•SIU is 12-3 when it has an advantage in points in the paint, and 7-2 when it wins the rebounding battle.
•SIU has led at halftime in 10 of its 25 games. Six times SIU has been tied or trailing at half and gone on to win.

Thik Bol climbs into Top 10 in single-season blocks at SIU
   F Thik Bol (6-8, 205, Jr.) ranks eighth at SIU in single-season blocks with 52. That mark is also good for 19th all-time at SIU. Bol had a career-high six blocks versus Mount St. Mary's and Evansville, which tied for the fifth-most in a game in school history. He ranks second in the MVC (behind Missouri State's Obediah Church) and 41st in the nation in blocked shots per game (2.09).

Dawg Bites
•In MVC-only games, there are two categories where the Salukis lead the league — offensive rebounds (12.3) and steals (7.2).
•In SIU's wins, it averages 79.9 points. In its losses, it averages 60.5 points.
•In SIU's wins, it is +4.6 on the boards. In the losses, it is -6.8.
•O'Brien and Bol combine to account for 45 percent of SIU's rebounding total.

Armon Fletcher is SIU's top 3-point threat
   Armon Fletcher (6-4, 190, So.) leads the team in 3-pointers (42) and 3-point percentage (.365). Fifty-two percent of his field goal attempts come from outside the arc. He is SIU's second-leading scorer (13.1 points) and ranks sixth in the conference in steals (1.5).

Sean Lloyd steps up in starting role
   G Sean Lloyd (6-5, 215, So.) has started 12 games this season, making his first start on Dec. 14 versus Saint Louis. As a starter, he is averaging 9.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 31.9 minutes, while shooting 12-of-25 (48 percent) from three. He had a career-high 17-point outing at Drake, in which he made 4-of-6 from 3-point.