Wednesday, January 30
Carbondale, Ill.
8 p.m.
Southern Illinois University
11-11, 4-5MVC
88
vs
73
Indiana St.
11-10, 3-6MVC
1
2
F
Indiana State
32
41
73
Southern Illinois
38
50
88
Fletcher, Salukis explode for 88-73 win over Indiana State
01/30/2019 | 11:15:00 | Men's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Led by a career-high 34 points by senior Armon Fletcher, the Southern Illinois men's basketball program flew to an 88-73 win over Indiana State on Wednesday night at SIU Arena. Fletcher's 34 points were the most by an Missouri Valley Conference player this season and the most by a Saluki since 2010.Â
"We played with a lot of confidence today," Fletcher said. "Nobody was thinking on the court; we were all just hooping."
Fletcher was dominant, scoring those 34 points on only 14 shots--he went 11-for-14 from the field, including 6-for-8 from the 3-point line. In addition to the offensive explosion, Fletcher had a chase-down block in the final seconds of the first half that was indicative of Southern's energetic performance that included eight blocked shots and 12 steals.
"A lot of times, when you get it going offensively, it's because you started it on the defensive end. He did that with the block at the end of the first half, and he kept it going into the second half," junior guard Aaron Cook said.
Just a game removed from scoring its lowest point total of the season (50 at Loyola), Southern Illinois (11-11, 4-5 MVC) posted its season high in scoring with 88 points. SIU shot 60.7 percent from the field, including a blistering 69.2 percent (18-of-26) in the second half.Â
The Sycamores (11-10, 3-6 MVC) played nearly well enough offensively to stick with the Salukis. Indiana State shot 48 percent for the game and scored 41 second-half points, but SIU actually expanded its lead in the second half, leading by as many as 20 points with five minutes remaining.Â
While Fletcher served as the game's star, the entire team played well. Aaron Cook had 14 points and 7 assists. Eric McGill came a rebound shy of a double-double with 10 points and 9 boards. Kavion Pippen stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks. As a team, SIU had 22 assists, which is the most in a conference game for SIU in the last seven seasons.
The win was Southern's second in the last three games to close out a roller coaster first half of conference play. In the crowded league race, the Salukis sit just a game out of third place, yet also just a game ahead of last place. The second half of league play for SIU starts Saturday at Bradley, with tip-off at 1 p.m.
"We did the first step tonight, but we have a big step on Saturday, a road game against a team that came in here and beat us on our home floor," Hinson said. "We just need to go complete Saturday at 1 o'clock."
Notes: The game against Indiana State marked the annual Black Out Cancer game. Every player's jersey was auctioned off in the weeks before the game, and winning bidders placed custom names on the backs of the jerseys, often honoring a loved one affected by cancer. All of the proceeds--more than $6,000--went to the Coach Kill Cancer Fund ... Fletcher's 34 points were the most since Carlton Fay scored 38 against Western Michigan in 2010 ... SIU's 88 points were the most in an MVC game in the Hinson era.Â
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"We played with a lot of confidence today," Fletcher said. "Nobody was thinking on the court; we were all just hooping."
Fletcher was dominant, scoring those 34 points on only 14 shots--he went 11-for-14 from the field, including 6-for-8 from the 3-point line. In addition to the offensive explosion, Fletcher had a chase-down block in the final seconds of the first half that was indicative of Southern's energetic performance that included eight blocked shots and 12 steals.
"A lot of times, when you get it going offensively, it's because you started it on the defensive end. He did that with the block at the end of the first half, and he kept it going into the second half," junior guard Aaron Cook said.
Just a game removed from scoring its lowest point total of the season (50 at Loyola), Southern Illinois (11-11, 4-5 MVC) posted its season high in scoring with 88 points. SIU shot 60.7 percent from the field, including a blistering 69.2 percent (18-of-26) in the second half.Â
The Sycamores (11-10, 3-6 MVC) played nearly well enough offensively to stick with the Salukis. Indiana State shot 48 percent for the game and scored 41 second-half points, but SIU actually expanded its lead in the second half, leading by as many as 20 points with five minutes remaining.Â
While Fletcher served as the game's star, the entire team played well. Aaron Cook had 14 points and 7 assists. Eric McGill came a rebound shy of a double-double with 10 points and 9 boards. Kavion Pippen stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks. As a team, SIU had 22 assists, which is the most in a conference game for SIU in the last seven seasons.
The win was Southern's second in the last three games to close out a roller coaster first half of conference play. In the crowded league race, the Salukis sit just a game out of third place, yet also just a game ahead of last place. The second half of league play for SIU starts Saturday at Bradley, with tip-off at 1 p.m.
"We did the first step tonight, but we have a big step on Saturday, a road game against a team that came in here and beat us on our home floor," Hinson said. "We just need to go complete Saturday at 1 o'clock."
Notes: The game against Indiana State marked the annual Black Out Cancer game. Every player's jersey was auctioned off in the weeks before the game, and winning bidders placed custom names on the backs of the jerseys, often honoring a loved one affected by cancer. All of the proceeds--more than $6,000--went to the Coach Kill Cancer Fund ... Fletcher's 34 points were the most since Carlton Fay scored 38 against Western Michigan in 2010 ... SIU's 88 points were the most in an MVC game in the Hinson era.Â
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Team Stats
INS
SIU
FG%
.482
.607
3FG%
.429
.550
FT%
.765
.563
RB
30
27
TO
17
14
STL
9
12
Game Leaders
Pts
34
FGM
11
3FGM
6
FTM
6
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
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