It was the best of times it was the worst of times. Chris Lowery watched his team play an uninspired first half then gave them a very short lecture during the break. It was a totally different game in the second half and SIU dismantled the Redbirds for an 11 point win.
One word to describe the first half- sloppy. The SIU motion offense was stagnant, standing around, waiting, waiting, waiting.... waiting. Errant passes and missed shots prevented the Salukis from gaining any ground after falling behind early. Illinois state had a chance to push the halftime lead to eight but missed a putback at the buzzer.
Whatever Lowery said at half time did not take long, his troops were back on the floor and cutting into the lead before you could blink. Jamaal Tatum came out firing, leading the comeback from the three point arc, shooting 5 of 8 from downtown, en route to a 22 point performance.
Randal Falker got in on the action in the second half stepping up on defense, blocking shots, and on the other end he was turning double teams into open three point opportunities. Falker tied the game at 41-41 with a lay-in that gave SIU all the momentum. They didn't look back. The Southern defense was on overdrive trapping the Redbirds at every turn. The Redbirds were visibly shaken as they watched the win slip away.
Give Southern credit. They did not panic when faced with a deficit. Backed by senior leadership from Tatum and Tony Young, SIU came out in the second half and played some of their best basketball of the season. Indiana State is next and if today's game was any indication- the Salukis will be ready.
