Wednesday, December 15
Carbondale, Ill.
7 PM
Southern Illinois University
6-4,1-0MVC
80
vs
55
Southeast Missouri
5-6,0-0OVC
1
2
F
Southeast Mo. St.
23
32
55
Southern Ill.
29
51
80
Men's Basketball wins rivalry game over SEMO, 80-55
12/15/2021 | 9:47:00 | Men's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois buried 10-of-14 shots from 3-point range in the second half and held SEMO to a season-low 37 percent shooting from the field in an 80-55 win at the Banterra Center on Wednesday night.
SIU head coach Bryan Mullins improved to 3-0 lifetime against SEMO, and this one was a bit easier than last year's overtime thriller in Cape Girardeau. The 25-point win was the largest margin of victory in the series by either school since Southern won by 28 points in 1993.
A rivalry game between two schools 45 miles apart has taken on added meaning since former Saluki player and assistant coach Brad Korn has taken the helm at SEMO.
"I don't enjoy playing (against) friends," Mullins said. (Brad's) done a lot for me. He was my assistant coach (at SIU) and has been a great mentor to me. So personally, that wasn't enjoyable."
After falling behind by as many as 11 in the first half, the Redhawks (5-6) trimmed the deficit to just three points, 32-29, on a 3-pointer by Eric Reed Jr. with 18:30 to go in the game.
That's when the Salukis reeled off a 9-0 run to seize control of the contest. Eight of the points came from Steven Verplancken, who led all scorers with 17 points. He scorched the nets for 5-of-6 shooting from long range, but it was a backdoor layup off an assist from Kyler Filewich that completed the run and gave SIU a 41-29 lead. The Salukis led by double digits the rest of the way.
"We had to make sure that we came out with the right mindset and the right focus after a tough loss at Tulsa," Mullins said. "I thought our guys did that. We got off to a little bit of a slow start but our focus was there throughout the game."
Southern's size, length and skill in the front court were a key factor in the win. Junior point forward Marcus Domask dished out a career-high eight assists and added 16 points. Ben Coupet Jr., a 6-foot-7 wing, chipped in 15 points, while the 6-foot-9 Filewich came off the bench to score a season-high 12 points and grab five rebounds.
The Salukis dictated the tempo of the game by grinding out long, but productive possessions on offense, and forcing SEMO to work for every shot at the other end of the floor.
"Offensively, we played with more pace in the second half and we shared the ball better, which allowed us to create some separation," Mullins said. "We did a pretty good job overall of guarding them for 40 minutes. I thought our guards did a good job of pressuring the ball, being in a stance and picking up full court. That wore on them quite a bit."
The game marked the return of Saluki guard Ben Harvey, who hadn't played since Nov. 12, due to health reasons. He played 13 minutes off the bench and made a 3-pointer, and his presence added depth to the guard position.
Southern hosts Maryville on Saturday at 3 p.m. David Allen Stone will perform a pregame concert in the Charles Helleny Pavilion before the game, and Santa will also make a return visit.
SIU head coach Bryan Mullins improved to 3-0 lifetime against SEMO, and this one was a bit easier than last year's overtime thriller in Cape Girardeau. The 25-point win was the largest margin of victory in the series by either school since Southern won by 28 points in 1993.
A rivalry game between two schools 45 miles apart has taken on added meaning since former Saluki player and assistant coach Brad Korn has taken the helm at SEMO.
"I don't enjoy playing (against) friends," Mullins said. (Brad's) done a lot for me. He was my assistant coach (at SIU) and has been a great mentor to me. So personally, that wasn't enjoyable."
After falling behind by as many as 11 in the first half, the Redhawks (5-6) trimmed the deficit to just three points, 32-29, on a 3-pointer by Eric Reed Jr. with 18:30 to go in the game.
That's when the Salukis reeled off a 9-0 run to seize control of the contest. Eight of the points came from Steven Verplancken, who led all scorers with 17 points. He scorched the nets for 5-of-6 shooting from long range, but it was a backdoor layup off an assist from Kyler Filewich that completed the run and gave SIU a 41-29 lead. The Salukis led by double digits the rest of the way.
"We had to make sure that we came out with the right mindset and the right focus after a tough loss at Tulsa," Mullins said. "I thought our guys did that. We got off to a little bit of a slow start but our focus was there throughout the game."
Southern's size, length and skill in the front court were a key factor in the win. Junior point forward Marcus Domask dished out a career-high eight assists and added 16 points. Ben Coupet Jr., a 6-foot-7 wing, chipped in 15 points, while the 6-foot-9 Filewich came off the bench to score a season-high 12 points and grab five rebounds.
The Salukis dictated the tempo of the game by grinding out long, but productive possessions on offense, and forcing SEMO to work for every shot at the other end of the floor.
"Offensively, we played with more pace in the second half and we shared the ball better, which allowed us to create some separation," Mullins said. "We did a pretty good job overall of guarding them for 40 minutes. I thought our guards did a good job of pressuring the ball, being in a stance and picking up full court. That wore on them quite a bit."
The game marked the return of Saluki guard Ben Harvey, who hadn't played since Nov. 12, due to health reasons. He played 13 minutes off the bench and made a 3-pointer, and his presence added depth to the guard position.
Southern hosts Maryville on Saturday at 3 p.m. David Allen Stone will perform a pregame concert in the Charles Helleny Pavilion before the game, and Santa will also make a return visit.
Team Stats
SEMO
SIU
FG%
.373
.596
3FG%
.333
.600
FT%
.750
.857
RB
26
30
TO
14
13
STL
7
9
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
5
FTM
0
Pts
16
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballC
/ Men's Basketball
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