Thursday, November 1
Carbondale, Ill.
7:00 PM
Southern Illinois University
76
vs
49
East Central University
1
2
F
East Central
29
20
49
Southern Illinois
31
45
76
Photo by: Tom Weber
SIU cruises past East Central in exhibition
11/01/2018 | 10:05:00 | Men's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois men's basketball program opened the 2018-19 season with a 76-49 exhibition win over East Central University (Okla.) on Thursday evening at SIU Arena. The Salukis held the Tigers to 28 percent shooting in the second half to cruise to the win.
SIU big men Thik Bol and Kavion Pippen dominated the second half, going a combined 9-for-10 from the field. The pair combined for 20 points in 20 minutes, and SIU won the points-in-the-paint battle 26-2 in the second frame. Bol, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, played his first game in 18 months and impressed SIU head coach Barry Hinson both on and off the court.
"The best thing Thik did, you didn't get to see," Hinson said. "It was in the huddle, with six minutes left, and he's telling our guys, 'The game isn't over. Continue to play.' I thought that was impressive. Here's a young man who we've already put on ice, and he's talking to our team. That's what seniors do."
Pippen and Bol led a group of four Salukis in double-figures. SIU's five available seniors (Armon Fletcher was held out in concussion protocol) combined for 59 points, but junior Aaron Cook controlled the game, nearly posting a triple-double. The St. Louis native added 10 assists and 7 rebounds to his 13 points.
"That's an amazing stat: Ten assists and two turnovers," Hinson said. "I told you at media day; he's practicing well and playing within himself. He's commanding the ball, and making decisions."
Fellow guard Marcus Bartley knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and added 4 assists and 4 rebounds.
"Guards are like quarterbacks. They get to the line of scrimmage and make calls and reads. That's what guards do," Hinson said of Bartley and Cook. "Those two quarterbacks did pretty good tonight. They made the right reads."
East Central, a Division II school in Ada, Okla., played SIU nearly even for the first half, going into the break within 31-29. The Salukis blew it open in the second half, shooting 68 percent while holding East Central to 28 percent shooting in the second frame.
"It never ceases to amaze me: It's my 38th year, and I always have to remind myself—because the coaches are just like the players; it's our first game—when the lights come on, it takes a process of adapting," Hinson said. "We're playing basketball under the lights with fans, and it's just part of the process. Thank goodness we have exhibition games."
East Central's Camron Talley was outstanding for the Tigers, scoring 19 first-half points on 6-for-8 shooting. SIU guard Sean Lloyd, who made the MVC All-Defensive team last year, limited Talley to only four shots and 6 points in the second half, while Southern's bigs pulled SIU away on the offensive end.
The game was SIU's only public exhibition game of 2018-19. The Salukis open the regular season at Kentucky on November 9. The Wildcats are ranked No. 2 in the nation, only the seventh time in school history the Salukis have faced a team ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in the country. Hinson ended his postgame press conference with the mindset going into the regular season opener.
"We have to be more cognizant of what's going on at the defensive end and how we're playing around the basket," he said. "We can't get sped up. We have to play fundamentally sound and go in there and compete. That's all I'm going to ask of our guys. Go in there and play your ass off. Play hard. Play together. Play unselfish. That's a pretty good recipe. It's not going to be complicated for our guys—those three things. We're going to try to represent our university, our conference, and our basketball program in the best manner we can."
The game will tip at 6 p.m. CT and will be aired on SEC Network.
SIU big men Thik Bol and Kavion Pippen dominated the second half, going a combined 9-for-10 from the field. The pair combined for 20 points in 20 minutes, and SIU won the points-in-the-paint battle 26-2 in the second frame. Bol, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, played his first game in 18 months and impressed SIU head coach Barry Hinson both on and off the court.
"The best thing Thik did, you didn't get to see," Hinson said. "It was in the huddle, with six minutes left, and he's telling our guys, 'The game isn't over. Continue to play.' I thought that was impressive. Here's a young man who we've already put on ice, and he's talking to our team. That's what seniors do."
Pippen and Bol led a group of four Salukis in double-figures. SIU's five available seniors (Armon Fletcher was held out in concussion protocol) combined for 59 points, but junior Aaron Cook controlled the game, nearly posting a triple-double. The St. Louis native added 10 assists and 7 rebounds to his 13 points.
"That's an amazing stat: Ten assists and two turnovers," Hinson said. "I told you at media day; he's practicing well and playing within himself. He's commanding the ball, and making decisions."
Fellow guard Marcus Bartley knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and added 4 assists and 4 rebounds.
"Guards are like quarterbacks. They get to the line of scrimmage and make calls and reads. That's what guards do," Hinson said of Bartley and Cook. "Those two quarterbacks did pretty good tonight. They made the right reads."
East Central, a Division II school in Ada, Okla., played SIU nearly even for the first half, going into the break within 31-29. The Salukis blew it open in the second half, shooting 68 percent while holding East Central to 28 percent shooting in the second frame.
"It never ceases to amaze me: It's my 38th year, and I always have to remind myself—because the coaches are just like the players; it's our first game—when the lights come on, it takes a process of adapting," Hinson said. "We're playing basketball under the lights with fans, and it's just part of the process. Thank goodness we have exhibition games."
East Central's Camron Talley was outstanding for the Tigers, scoring 19 first-half points on 6-for-8 shooting. SIU guard Sean Lloyd, who made the MVC All-Defensive team last year, limited Talley to only four shots and 6 points in the second half, while Southern's bigs pulled SIU away on the offensive end.
The game was SIU's only public exhibition game of 2018-19. The Salukis open the regular season at Kentucky on November 9. The Wildcats are ranked No. 2 in the nation, only the seventh time in school history the Salukis have faced a team ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in the country. Hinson ended his postgame press conference with the mindset going into the regular season opener.
"We have to be more cognizant of what's going on at the defensive end and how we're playing around the basket," he said. "We can't get sped up. We have to play fundamentally sound and go in there and compete. That's all I'm going to ask of our guys. Go in there and play your ass off. Play hard. Play together. Play unselfish. That's a pretty good recipe. It's not going to be complicated for our guys—those three things. We're going to try to represent our university, our conference, and our basketball program in the best manner we can."
The game will tip at 6 p.m. CT and will be aired on SEC Network.
Team Stats
EAS
SIU
FG%
.340
.588
3FG%
.429
.316
FT%
.600
.714
RB
22
36
TO
10
12
STL
5
2
Game Leaders
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
14
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballC
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