With three minutes remaining in the first half Tyrone Green hit a layup to put the Salukis up 26-18 and things were looking good for the Dawgs. Then the Saluki road team of old showed up in Peoria. Southern didn't score again in the first half. Over the next 7 minutes they turned an 8 point lead into a 5 point disadvantage.
The Salukis have struggled on the road all season and this game was no different... as the Salukis... wait... what?... This game was different ... as the Salukis wore down a short-handed Bradley team and got whatever they wanted offensively down the stretch.
Bryan Mullins turned the tide when he hit Matt Shaw for a layup that cut the lead to 3 and then the rest of the crew got involved. Wes Clemmons stepped it up big time, scoring 7 points in the next 3 minutes and capped off the run by taking a pass from Mullins and dropping in a layup to put Southern on top 40-37.
Once the Dawgs got their groove back there was never any doubt that they would close out the victory. As Lowery said in the postgame (95.1FM), Floorburn U is back. The Saluki 'D' was able to contain Jeremy Crouch in the second half and while Crouch finished with 21 points, it took him 21 shots to get there.
The 'big 3' combo of Mullins, Shaw, and Falker came up huge, but also give credit to Joshua Bone. Bone seems to have broken out of his shooting slump and he looked confident, hitting 3 of 5 from the field, to chip in 10 points off the bench. Southern needs the 'big 3' to play well every night, but when they get good contributions from a fourth player they are really tough to beat.
That's 5 wins in a row for the Dawgs and more importantly 2 of those wins came away from SIU Arena. Even though Bradley was short-handed, the game still counts the same in the standings and now the Salukis have their sights set on second place in the Valley.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Salukis Thunder Past Nevada
Southern Illinois hammered Nevada 74-49 at the Arena on Saturday. The win came in the glare of a nationally televised Bracket Buster match-up.
Randal Falker led all scorers with 17, while Matt Shaw (13) and Tyrone Green (11) also reached double figures.
The supercharged Dawgs harassed the usually sure-handed Wolf Pack into a jarring 21 turnovers and added to the visitors' woes by going 14 of 16 from the line.
Nevada's talented trio of JaVale McGee, Armon Johnson and Marcellus Kemp hit for 12 apiece, in a losing effort. Even a 37-24 rebounding edge for the significantly taller visitors was to no avail. The rout was on virtually from opening tip.
SIU overcame an early Nevada lead to rack up a 37-22 halftime margin. Midway through the second 20 minutes the SIU lead had ballooned to an eye-popping 29 points. It was no fluke.
Voted a unamimous preseason MVC favorite, Southern's win at home-snooze on the road 2008 format had thus far spun the team out of the national limelight. Saturday at the Arena it was a different story.
The Dawgs burned 7 threes in the first half. Then Southern took the game inside and Nevada simply had no answer for Randal Falker. Twisting, vaulting and coming up with new moves on the fly, Southern's low post sensation showed why conventional wisdom has had two defenders posted on his shoestrings all season long. Seven footers slid off him like icicles off a tin shed. In one sequence he shrugged off four grappling opponents and flipped in a reverse finger roll.
While Falker was running loose, Shaw was stealing passes. As Bryan Mullins was chasing every Nevada shirt east and west, Tyrone Green was exploding past people so fast it was scary.
Wes Clemmons canned a couple of treys and the Dawgs bench crew kicked in 19, including 8 from the increasingly impressive Carlton Fay and 9 from Joshua Bone.
Nevada must have felt like they'd been tossed into a blender. The maroon congregation jammed in Arena seats was holding a high decibel carnival. The Wolf Pack's first visit to Egypt was a harsh reality check, though Creighton, Missouri State and various other shell shocked visitors could have testified if consulted.
Up next the red hot Bradley Braves on the road and then Illinois State at home next Saturday to close out the regular season. A pair of W's will lead to a 2nd place overall finish and a favorable seed for Arch Madness.
Randal Falker led all scorers with 17, while Matt Shaw (13) and Tyrone Green (11) also reached double figures.
The supercharged Dawgs harassed the usually sure-handed Wolf Pack into a jarring 21 turnovers and added to the visitors' woes by going 14 of 16 from the line.
Nevada's talented trio of JaVale McGee, Armon Johnson and Marcellus Kemp hit for 12 apiece, in a losing effort. Even a 37-24 rebounding edge for the significantly taller visitors was to no avail. The rout was on virtually from opening tip.
SIU overcame an early Nevada lead to rack up a 37-22 halftime margin. Midway through the second 20 minutes the SIU lead had ballooned to an eye-popping 29 points. It was no fluke.
Voted a unamimous preseason MVC favorite, Southern's win at home-snooze on the road 2008 format had thus far spun the team out of the national limelight. Saturday at the Arena it was a different story.
The Dawgs burned 7 threes in the first half. Then Southern took the game inside and Nevada simply had no answer for Randal Falker. Twisting, vaulting and coming up with new moves on the fly, Southern's low post sensation showed why conventional wisdom has had two defenders posted on his shoestrings all season long. Seven footers slid off him like icicles off a tin shed. In one sequence he shrugged off four grappling opponents and flipped in a reverse finger roll.
While Falker was running loose, Shaw was stealing passes. As Bryan Mullins was chasing every Nevada shirt east and west, Tyrone Green was exploding past people so fast it was scary.
Wes Clemmons canned a couple of treys and the Dawgs bench crew kicked in 19, including 8 from the increasingly impressive Carlton Fay and 9 from Joshua Bone.
Nevada must have felt like they'd been tossed into a blender. The maroon congregation jammed in Arena seats was holding a high decibel carnival. The Wolf Pack's first visit to Egypt was a harsh reality check, though Creighton, Missouri State and various other shell shocked visitors could have testified if consulted.
Up next the red hot Bradley Braves on the road and then Illinois State at home next Saturday to close out the regular season. A pair of W's will lead to a 2nd place overall finish and a favorable seed for Arch Madness.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Meet the Wolfpack
The Salukis will take a break from Missouri Valley Conference action this Saturday when the Nevada Wolfpack come to town as part of the O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters. This will be the first meeting between these two perennially successful mid-major programs since 1965, but regardless of the outcome, their will be a rematch in Reno next season.
The Wolfpack return just one starter from a school record 29-win 2006-07 lineup that won the WAC and went to the Big Dance for the 4th consecutive season. Over that four year span, Nevada topped 25 wins each season and went undefeated in BracketBusters contests with victories over Toledo, Vermont, Akron and Northern Iowa.
Saturday's trip to the SIU Arena will be the first time the Wolfpack have traveled for this event and they have compiled a 6-7 mark away from the Lawler Events Center in Reno this season. Overall... Nevada (17-9 , 9-4) is currently 3rd in the WAC, but just a single game behind Boise State and New Mexico State in the loss column. With an RPI of 72 and a woeful 1-7 record against the top 100, the Wolfpack are in dire need of a quality victory.
With four players averaging in double figures, this lineup can be dangerous. Marcellus Kemp is a 6th year swingman that is averaging over 20 ppg and looks to be headed to the NBA next year. JaVale McGee is a 7'0" sophomore forward that has notched six double-doubles this season and hit 4 of 5 from beyond the arc in the last two games. In the backcourt, a pair of underclassmen, Brandon Fields and Armon Johnson, combine for just under 25 ppg and Johnson has tallied four 20-point performances, including 23 against then #1 North Carolina. Off the bench, David Ellis is a 7'1" freshman center that averages 15 mpg, but only 3 ppg. Collectively, the Wolfpack average 75 ppg and their size has led to a +3 margin on the glass, but it doesn't limit opportunities for decent looks on the offensive end; opponents are averaging 70 ppg on the season.
The Salukis are playing their best basketball of the year right now and a win on Saturday would keep the momentum rolling into the final two Valley contests next week. Tip-off is at 3:30 and tickets are still available.
The Wolfpack return just one starter from a school record 29-win 2006-07 lineup that won the WAC and went to the Big Dance for the 4th consecutive season. Over that four year span, Nevada topped 25 wins each season and went undefeated in BracketBusters contests with victories over Toledo, Vermont, Akron and Northern Iowa.
Saturday's trip to the SIU Arena will be the first time the Wolfpack have traveled for this event and they have compiled a 6-7 mark away from the Lawler Events Center in Reno this season. Overall... Nevada (17-9 , 9-4) is currently 3rd in the WAC, but just a single game behind Boise State and New Mexico State in the loss column. With an RPI of 72 and a woeful 1-7 record against the top 100, the Wolfpack are in dire need of a quality victory.
With four players averaging in double figures, this lineup can be dangerous. Marcellus Kemp is a 6th year swingman that is averaging over 20 ppg and looks to be headed to the NBA next year. JaVale McGee is a 7'0" sophomore forward that has notched six double-doubles this season and hit 4 of 5 from beyond the arc in the last two games. In the backcourt, a pair of underclassmen, Brandon Fields and Armon Johnson, combine for just under 25 ppg and Johnson has tallied four 20-point performances, including 23 against then #1 North Carolina. Off the bench, David Ellis is a 7'1" freshman center that averages 15 mpg, but only 3 ppg. Collectively, the Wolfpack average 75 ppg and their size has led to a +3 margin on the glass, but it doesn't limit opportunities for decent looks on the offensive end; opponents are averaging 70 ppg on the season.
The Salukis are playing their best basketball of the year right now and a win on Saturday would keep the momentum rolling into the final two Valley contests next week. Tip-off is at 3:30 and tickets are still available.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Shaw drops 23 on UNI, Salukis blow out Panthers
Matt Shaw came out hot and never cooled off hitting 8 of 9 shots including a perfect 4 of 4 from 3 point land en route to a 23 point 9 rebound performance. Southern parlayed Shaw's huge night and Bryan Mullins 13 points and 7 assists into a 20 point victory.
Shaw's hot shooting seemed to be contagious as the team shot 55% from the field. Shaw looked confident from the jump and after the game he acknowledged it. "Everybody felt like any shot they took was going to fall," said Shaw.
Randal Falker did a nice job in this game but it didn't necessarily show in the his stat line. Falker had just 6 points due to constant double teams by the Panthers. Passing out of those double teams allowed the Salukis to get better shots on the perimeter and the Dawgs cashed in - hitting an impressive 12 of 20 (60%) shots from downtown. After the game UNI head coach Ben Jacobson responded to the Salukis success on offense. "We tried to make it tough for them down low, but Shaw and Mullins made us pay," said Jacobson.
Southern also played smart defensively, holding UNI to 47 points and the Panthers only got to the free throw line 3 times all night. Southern's defense in the post was air tight and they held Eric Coleman to an anemic 2 points and 3 rebounds.
Local product Lucas O'Rear played 23 minutes and chipped in 8 points for the Panthers. O'Rear played with an aggressive, physical style and he was whistled for 4 fouls in his homecoming to Southern Illinois. Jacobson was pleased with the play of the freshman from Nashville. "He's going to have a great career. He's been injured but now he's as healthy as he's been all year," said Jacobson.
Overall, it was a nice win for the Salukis but the upcoming schedule presents its fair share of challenges. After the home BracketBuster game on Saturday the Salukis play a red-hot Bradley team on the road and then draw second place Illinois State to finish off the Valley regular season.
It's no secret that the Salukis are playing better of late and the next 3 games will be key for the Dawgs heading into Arch Madness.
Shaw's hot shooting seemed to be contagious as the team shot 55% from the field. Shaw looked confident from the jump and after the game he acknowledged it. "Everybody felt like any shot they took was going to fall," said Shaw.
Randal Falker did a nice job in this game but it didn't necessarily show in the his stat line. Falker had just 6 points due to constant double teams by the Panthers. Passing out of those double teams allowed the Salukis to get better shots on the perimeter and the Dawgs cashed in - hitting an impressive 12 of 20 (60%) shots from downtown. After the game UNI head coach Ben Jacobson responded to the Salukis success on offense. "We tried to make it tough for them down low, but Shaw and Mullins made us pay," said Jacobson.
Southern also played smart defensively, holding UNI to 47 points and the Panthers only got to the free throw line 3 times all night. Southern's defense in the post was air tight and they held Eric Coleman to an anemic 2 points and 3 rebounds.
Local product Lucas O'Rear played 23 minutes and chipped in 8 points for the Panthers. O'Rear played with an aggressive, physical style and he was whistled for 4 fouls in his homecoming to Southern Illinois. Jacobson was pleased with the play of the freshman from Nashville. "He's going to have a great career. He's been injured but now he's as healthy as he's been all year," said Jacobson.
Overall, it was a nice win for the Salukis but the upcoming schedule presents its fair share of challenges. After the home BracketBuster game on Saturday the Salukis play a red-hot Bradley team on the road and then draw second place Illinois State to finish off the Valley regular season.
It's no secret that the Salukis are playing better of late and the next 3 games will be key for the Dawgs heading into Arch Madness.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Third place Salukis look to hold court
The Salukis are all alone in third place and they will try to run the table in the conference and move into second place. The difference between 2nd and 3rd is significant because the Salukis would be matched up with a "play in" team in the first round if they can move into second. If anyone is wondering about the tie-break system in the MVC you can find more information about it here. Southern's win over Drake would be huge in any tie-break situation.
Southern's next opponent, Northern Iowa, is in dire need of a victory to stay out of the bottom tier of the MVC. UNI is currently tied with Indiana State for 6th place.
The Panthers are 5-6 on the road this season but they don't have any overly impressive wins and are sporting an RPI of 125. Just as the Salukis have had problems in Cedar Falls the Panthers are struggling in Carbondale, the Salukis have won 10 straight meetings at SIU Arena.
These two teams are fairly even on paper, both average about 63 points a game and both give up just a little less than that. Northern Iowa does have an interesting stat- they are #1 in the Valley in defensive rebounds and almost last on the offensive boards.
The key match up in the game will be Randal Falker vs Eric Coleman. It seems like these two big men have been battling since the Rich Herrin days and this could very well be the last head to head battle for the senior big men. If Falker can get the edge against Coleman the Salukis will have a great chance to continue their home court dominance in the Valley.
Southern's next opponent, Northern Iowa, is in dire need of a victory to stay out of the bottom tier of the MVC. UNI is currently tied with Indiana State for 6th place.
The Panthers are 5-6 on the road this season but they don't have any overly impressive wins and are sporting an RPI of 125. Just as the Salukis have had problems in Cedar Falls the Panthers are struggling in Carbondale, the Salukis have won 10 straight meetings at SIU Arena.
These two teams are fairly even on paper, both average about 63 points a game and both give up just a little less than that. Northern Iowa does have an interesting stat- they are #1 in the Valley in defensive rebounds and almost last on the offensive boards.
The key match up in the game will be Randal Falker vs Eric Coleman. It seems like these two big men have been battling since the Rich Herrin days and this could very well be the last head to head battle for the senior big men. If Falker can get the edge against Coleman the Salukis will have a great chance to continue their home court dominance in the Valley.
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