Friday, March 6
St. Louis, Mo.
2:30 p.m.
Southern Illinois University
16-16,10-8MVC
59
vs
64
Bradley
21-11,11-7MVC
1
2
F
Southern Ill.
27
32
59
Bradley
24
40
64
SIU falls to Bradley in MVC Tournament quarterfinal
03/06/2020 | 6:08:00 | Men's Basketball
ST. LOUIS - The SIU men's basketball team lost a heartbreaker to Bradley in the MVC Tournament quarterfinal on Friday afternoon at Enterprise Center. Ronnie Suggs Jr. tied the game with 43 seconds left, but Bradley's Ja'Shon Henry completed a 3-point play, and Bradley held on for a 64-59 win.
"Give credit to Bradley. They made a couple big plays at the end and made one more basket that us," SIU head coach Bryan Mullins said. "I'm incredibly proud of how we competed today and how we've competed all year. This group of guys has represented the university extremely well on and off the court. It has been a special team."
SIU (16-16) ends an improbable year with arguably the most successful season in league history for a team that was picked last in the preseason MVC poll. SIU's 10 Valley wins were the most ever by a team picked last, and the Salukis became just the fourth team ever to finish in the top half of the league after being picked at the bottom.
A major reason for the team's success was its seniors: Barret Benson, Eric McGill and Ronnie Suggs Jr -- all starters for the Salukis. That trio combined for 27 points, 18 rebounds, and 6 assists in their final collegiate games. McGill (10 points, 9 rebounds) and Benson (9 points, 8 rebounds) narrowly missed double-doubles, and Suggs calmly nailed the game-tying free throws in the game's final minute.
"I think we have a great foundation because of the seniors," Mullins said. "Barret, Eric, and Ronnie have done a great job throughout the year of leadership on and off the court. They represented themselves, their families, and this program the right way. They have practiced hard every single day and shown the younger guys what it takes to be successful at this level."
The Salukis also flashed incredible potential for the future of the program. Marcus Domask was the league's Freshman and Newcomer of the Year. Lance Jones was incredible down the stretch of his final season, averaging 18 points per game over the team's final six games. Jones had 20 to lead SIU against Bradley (21-11). The Salukis also got big contributions this year from freshmen Trent Brown and Karrington Davis, along with sophomore Harwin Francois.
"For the younger guys, they played in big games," Mullins said. "They played in big atmospheres. This was a high-level game today. We've won some big games this year, and we've lost some. Hopefully, that fuels them for the rest of their careers at SIU."
The Salukis led for much of the game against the favored Braves, stretching the lead out to nine points early in the second half. Bradley, a senior-laden team that represented the MVC in the NCAA Tournament last year, made the plays down the stretch to get one step closer to its second-straight Arch Madness title. Darrell Brown led the charge scoring 15 points in the second half on 5-of-7 shooting. Ville Tahvanainen also knocked down three 3-pointers. The duo of Brown and Tahvanainen accounted for 24 of Bradley's 40 second-half points.
"That was a great basketball game," Bradley head coach Brian Wardle said. "I thought two teams were laying it all out there, played hard, played tough, played physical. Southern Illinois had a good year. They are a tough team. Bryan (Mullins) has done a great job there, and it's going to be fun to compete against them in the future."
NOTES: SIU's 10 MVC wins represent the most ever by a team picked last in the MVC preseason poll ... SIU became just the fourth team in league history to finish in the top half of the league after being picked last ... SIU allowed just 62.2 points per game, the program's second best scoring defense in the last 12 years ... SIU limited opponents to 42.9% shooting this year, also the second-best defensive field goal percentage season since 2007-08 ... Marcus Domask scored 434 points, the third most by a freshman in program history, just six points shy of Kent Williams for second ... Lance Jones scored 298 points, the seventh-most points for a freshman in school history ... Domask and Jones (732 points) are the highest scoring freshman duo in school history ... Jones and Domask each had 79 assists this year, tied for fifth-most in in SIU history for freshmen ... Jones and Domask's 158 assists are the second-most for a freshman duo in school history (Darren Brooks and Stetson Hairston combined for 199 assists in 2002) ... SIU held Bradley to 39.7% shooting, the 12th time SIU held an opponent under 40% shooting, which is the most for the program since 2006-07 (14).
"Give credit to Bradley. They made a couple big plays at the end and made one more basket that us," SIU head coach Bryan Mullins said. "I'm incredibly proud of how we competed today and how we've competed all year. This group of guys has represented the university extremely well on and off the court. It has been a special team."
SIU (16-16) ends an improbable year with arguably the most successful season in league history for a team that was picked last in the preseason MVC poll. SIU's 10 Valley wins were the most ever by a team picked last, and the Salukis became just the fourth team ever to finish in the top half of the league after being picked at the bottom.
A major reason for the team's success was its seniors: Barret Benson, Eric McGill and Ronnie Suggs Jr -- all starters for the Salukis. That trio combined for 27 points, 18 rebounds, and 6 assists in their final collegiate games. McGill (10 points, 9 rebounds) and Benson (9 points, 8 rebounds) narrowly missed double-doubles, and Suggs calmly nailed the game-tying free throws in the game's final minute.
"I think we have a great foundation because of the seniors," Mullins said. "Barret, Eric, and Ronnie have done a great job throughout the year of leadership on and off the court. They represented themselves, their families, and this program the right way. They have practiced hard every single day and shown the younger guys what it takes to be successful at this level."
The Salukis also flashed incredible potential for the future of the program. Marcus Domask was the league's Freshman and Newcomer of the Year. Lance Jones was incredible down the stretch of his final season, averaging 18 points per game over the team's final six games. Jones had 20 to lead SIU against Bradley (21-11). The Salukis also got big contributions this year from freshmen Trent Brown and Karrington Davis, along with sophomore Harwin Francois.
"For the younger guys, they played in big games," Mullins said. "They played in big atmospheres. This was a high-level game today. We've won some big games this year, and we've lost some. Hopefully, that fuels them for the rest of their careers at SIU."
The Salukis led for much of the game against the favored Braves, stretching the lead out to nine points early in the second half. Bradley, a senior-laden team that represented the MVC in the NCAA Tournament last year, made the plays down the stretch to get one step closer to its second-straight Arch Madness title. Darrell Brown led the charge scoring 15 points in the second half on 5-of-7 shooting. Ville Tahvanainen also knocked down three 3-pointers. The duo of Brown and Tahvanainen accounted for 24 of Bradley's 40 second-half points.
"That was a great basketball game," Bradley head coach Brian Wardle said. "I thought two teams were laying it all out there, played hard, played tough, played physical. Southern Illinois had a good year. They are a tough team. Bryan (Mullins) has done a great job there, and it's going to be fun to compete against them in the future."
NOTES: SIU's 10 MVC wins represent the most ever by a team picked last in the MVC preseason poll ... SIU became just the fourth team in league history to finish in the top half of the league after being picked last ... SIU allowed just 62.2 points per game, the program's second best scoring defense in the last 12 years ... SIU limited opponents to 42.9% shooting this year, also the second-best defensive field goal percentage season since 2007-08 ... Marcus Domask scored 434 points, the third most by a freshman in program history, just six points shy of Kent Williams for second ... Lance Jones scored 298 points, the seventh-most points for a freshman in school history ... Domask and Jones (732 points) are the highest scoring freshman duo in school history ... Jones and Domask each had 79 assists this year, tied for fifth-most in in SIU history for freshmen ... Jones and Domask's 158 assists are the second-most for a freshman duo in school history (Darren Brooks and Stetson Hairston combined for 199 assists in 2002) ... SIU held Bradley to 39.7% shooting, the 12th time SIU held an opponent under 40% shooting, which is the most for the program since 2006-07 (14).
Team Stats
SIU
Brad
FG%
.375
.397
3FG%
.474
.333
FT%
.800
.923
RB
29
43
TO
10
13
STL
4
3
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
9
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
C
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
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