The Salukis ended the second longest winning streak in the nation at 21 games and spoiled a bid for perfection in the Valley by upsetting the 14th ranked Drake Bulldogs 65- 62 at the Arena tonight.
Randal Falker led the way with 13 points and 10 boards for SIU and Josh Young tallied 17 for Drake.
SIU carried a 39-36 lead into the lockers at halftime and opened that lead up to 53-43 after intermission. An 11-2 Drake run closed the gap and the issue remained in doubt until Leonard Houston's 3-pt attempt caught iron as the buzzer sounded and the crowd roared.
Nothing but poise and confidence from the Salukis tonight. They avoided the foul trouble (only 13 FT's allowed), excessive turnovers (14), and poor shooting (50% from the floor) that have plagued the team all season. They even got off to a quick start by scoring the first 7 points and closed out a tight game with foul shots.
The win moves SIU to 8-6 in MVC play and into a 3rd place tie with the Creighton Bluejays, who lost tonight at Evansville. As for Drake, now 13-1, the Bulldogs' magic number stands at 1 and their next opportunity to cut the nets down comes on Saturday in Cedar Falls.
