Everything went pretty much as expected for the Salukis today. SIU held King to just 38 points, got a breakout type performance from Josh Bone, and the freshmen combo of Brandon Wood and Carlton Fay made their college debuts.
Bone went 4 of 6 from the field, including 2 of 3 from beyond the arc, for a total of 13 points in just 18 minutes. He had some problems with cramps but said they were nothing to worry about.
Not only did Bone show the ability to score, he also looked comfortable in the role of backup PG when Bryan Mullins was on the bench. After the game, Bone said that he knows he still needs to improve on defense but he'll be ready to play big minutes.
Matt Shaw had a nice game scoring 13 points in 28 minutes. It was just another day at the office for the senior forward from Centralia.
Fay and Wood made their fair share of freshmen mistakes. Wood had 6 turnovers in 18 minutes, and Lowery acknowledged that Wood needs to improve but he also expressed confidence in his shot. Fay was a step slow on the defensive end at times, but he also showed off his tremendous ability to shoot the basketball.
Christian Cornelius was able to play 8 minutes and collected a rebound, a steal, and an assist. This has to be viewed as a very positive step forward for Christian who missed all of last season due to injury.
The Salukis look like they will be a well balanced team offensively so it's probably time to close out the "how do we replace Tatum and Young" questions. Shaw, Falker, and Mullins will be rock solid and from what Bone showed today he will be ready to score double digits almost every night. As an added bonus the Salukis should also be able to get scoring contributions from the bench this season. However, make no mistake, this team's strength will once again be its defense.
