The Saluki 'D' was in full effect against Evansville on Tuesday night and SIU was able to wear down Evansville and cruise to a 59-39 victory.
SIU coach Chris Lowery played a 9 man rotation that kept his starters fresh and the Salukis responded by stretching a 9 point halftime lead into a 20 point advantage in the first 13 minutes of the second half.
The Salukis had already seen the Aces zone defense once this season and they seemed to figure it out in the second half. Matt Shaw and Randal Falker were able to get established and combined for 31 points in the win.
Shaw was a bright spot for the Salukis for more reasons than just his 15 point, 16 rebound performance. After a dismal 0 for 3 shooting performance in the first half, Shaw came alive in the second half hitting 4 of 7 shots for 13 of his 15 points.
Early in his career a bad start would have discouraged Shaw but things have changed for the senior forward. When asked about his performance, Shaw said, "When I'm not hitting shots I just stay positive and know that the next one is going down."
Shaw's performance against Evansville provided leadership by example for a Saluki team that has bounced back from a brutal start to win 4 of their last 5 games.
The Salukis are currently in 3rd place in the MVC and things could be trending upward for the Dawgs. "Now is the time for us to make a move," said Lowery. "We're not the hunted anymore. We're the ones hunting, so it's good for us mentally right now"
