It was a long 16 minutes for the Salukis. Finally with 4 minutes left in the first half Wesley Clemmons hit a field goal for SIU, their first of the game. By then Illinois State had already built a 25-5 lead and had established a stranglehold on the game.
Indecision, turnovers, and downright poor shooting plagued the Salukis in this contest. It was a struggle for Southern from the jump, as they failed to even attempt a field goal in the first 4 minutes.
The Saluki offense is stuck in neutral, and it's going to take a team effort to get things back in order. Falker has to get it started by working for more buckets in the post. Bryan Mullins must limit turnovers; he had more turnovers (5) than assists (4) on Saturday night. Matt Shaw has to work to become more consistent. Clemmons and Bone must carry more of the scoring load; they combined for just 9 points on Saturday and that's not enough.
It's possible that Chris Lowery could look to his bench for scoring help. Tony Boyle only played 10 minutes in this game and he could take on a bigger role. Carlton Fay chipped in 6 points in 12 minutes but he also committed four fouls. Fay really can't be considered for more minutes until he learns to play without fouling.
Whatever happens Lowery must find a way to make his players more comfortable in the offense. A return to SIU Arena could help in the short term. Southern has shot the ball pretty well at home this year and their next game is in Carbondale. A long term solution will be necessary because the Salukis have to go right back on the road where they are 0-5 this season. Lowery is faced with the difficult task of getting his players to be more confident shooting the ball in a hostile environment.
Give Illinois State some credit, they have made it clear that they are no longer bottom feeders in the MVC. With a 3-0 record in the conference the Redbirds are poised to make a run at the conference championship and with an RPI of 43 some might argue that they are the best team in the state this season.
With the loss the Salukis fall to 6-8 and 1-2 in conference play. Their #7 Strength of Schedule makes the sub .500 record look a little better but Strength of Schedule alone doesn't get you into the dance.
The Salukis will have a chance to get their second win of Valley play vs Bradley on Tuesday. Bradley is a disappointing 0-3 in conference play, they are missing their All-MVC point guard Daniel Ruffin, and the game is at SIU Arena. The Salukis desperately need to take advantage of these factors to get their season back on track.
