The SIU Salukis belted Butler 68-64 Saturday, to post a key Bracketbuster win. The victory snapped the Bulldogs 22 game home winning streak, and bolstered Southern's claim to a prime NCAA seeding.
ESPN announcer Rick Majerus pronounced the tussle "more physical than any Big Ten game I've seen this season," and "the floor burn game of the year." Physical, it certainly was, with 48 fouls assessed.... 26 on Butler.
Jamaal Tatum nailed 20 points , including 8 crucial free throws. Matt Shaw was perfect from the field, including 3 threes and played smart and tough all afternoon. Tony Young was stellar and had 11. The entire SIU cast of characters was clutch. Randal Falker was able to chip in just 5 points, all from the line, but if you'd isolate his game on video and run it fast- forward it would look like a year of wrestling practice. Ditto for Shaw. The cheers of the raucous 1000 SIU fans who somehow wangled their way into the field house rained down on the sturdy Salukis. Coach Lowery said he really appreciates it. The fans who were there made their presence count.
The Salukis were up 30-25 at the half despite having made zero transition buckets, created no steals and scored on no put-backs.. a nearly statistically impossible trifecta. The astonished Majerus attributed it to defense. The Bulldogs' Mike Green was visably drained, and the Butler star, A.J. Graves, fighting illness, was scoreless in the first 20 min.
Southern nearly had Butler on the canvass in the second , but Pete Campbell's four three kept reeling SIU back in. Coach Lowery used his roster expertly. He had just enough cards to play to win it. Free throws told the tale in the waning minutes.
The 12th ranked Bulldogs were paced by Green, who had 18 , Pete Campbell with 17 , and Brandon Crone with 11.
Tonight let's spotlight Wesley Clemmons, Tyrone Green, and Josh Bone. They scored 7, 4 and 2 , respectively, hit the glass hard, and hustled like mad. Green blocked a shot with authority.
As the Dawgs head home tonight well-deserved applause is echoing loudly. Wednesday night Southern will go up against Indiana State in Terre Haute with the outright MVC title in reach. Nothing will be conceded by the Sycamores. It's The Valley, after all. THAT'S TONIGHT'S VIEW FROM ROW TWO.
