Southern Illinois has been searching for a spark, a moment -- something tangible to show itself that it's not too late to turn around a season that so far has gone awry.
The Salukis (6-9, 1-3) will certainly have plenty of inspiration to draw from after Wednesday night's 74-62 win over Wichita State.
SIU withstood several second-half runs by the Shockers (6-9, 0-4) in front of a stirred up, sold-out crowd at Charles Koch Arena.
All five starters scored in double figures for Southern Illinois, and all five delivered clutch baskets at various points in the game.
Early in the contest, it was senior center Tony Boyle scoring eight of his 12 points, as SIU bolted to an 18-7 lead.
"That was one of the worst starts I've been associated with in a long time," said Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall. "(Boyle) went to work on our freshman [Garrett Stutz]. We didn't want to come off their shooters, because they are shooting so well."
Although Boyle left the game with two fouls, forward Carlton Fay got hot, knocking down a pair of 3-point shots, and SIU pulled out to a 35-25 halftime lead.
In the second half, it was SIU's backcourt that did most of the damage. Freshman Ryan Hare slashed his way to the basket, scoring 12 of his game-high 18 points. Fellow freshmen Kevin Dillard joined in, draining a pair of 3-pointers on his way to a 14-point outing.
Things got interesting, though, when the Shockers cut the deficit to one on a 3-pointer by Clevin Hannah with 8:37 remaining.
Facing a wall of sound from a frenzied Shocker crowd, SIU calmly ran off eight-straight points, starting with a 3-pointer by Bryan Mullins, followed by a pair of Hare free throws and then a Fay triple to silence the crowd.
"Earlier in the year, we probably would have gone on a four or five-minute drought," Mullins said. "I think we're just maturing."
Wichita State applied a full-court press for most of the second half, but Mullins was up to the challenge, distributing seven assists to go with no turnovers. He also made all three of his 3-point shots and tallied 13 points.
"With heavy pressure late in the game, with full-court traps and other things they were trying to do to rattle us, Bryan did a great job of directing and leading," said Saluki head coach Chris Lowery.
Dillard agreed. "Bryan kept us all calm out there," he said. "I admit I got a little rattled sometimes."
Mullins said he was more impressed with the play of Dillard and Hare. "It's my fourth time being here, and I've played in all types of environments," he said. "Kevin and Ryan played huge for us. They're growing up and understanding what it takes to win."
Although Wichita State closed the gap to 64-60 with 5:52 to go, Southern ended the game on a 10-2 run to seal the victory.
"It just seemed like every time we almost got a stop, they get it to a shooter and pull a rabbit out of the hat," Marshall said.
The Salukis were calmly efficient from 3-point range, making 8-of-10 shots from the perimeter on the night. Five of the triples came in the second half.
"To come and finish it off on the road, I think it helps our younger kids understand what we're about -- being solid on defense and timely offense on the other end," Lowery said.
The win helped ease some of the pain of losing back-to-back home games last week.
"If we continue to take off, like I think we can, then these young freshmen will win more games," Lowery said.
Added Mullins, "Coach always says confidence is a win away. We got our win, and we hope it's a springboard."
|
|
|
Southern Illinois has been searching for a spark, a moment -- something tangible to show itself that it's not too late to turn around a season that so far has gone awry.
The Salukis (6-9, 1-3) will certainly have plenty of inspiration to draw from after Wednesday night's 74-62 win over Wichita State.
SIU withstood several second-half runs by the Shockers (6-9, 0-4) in front of a stirred up, sold-out crowd at Charles Koch Arena.
All five starters scored in double figures for Southern Illinois, and all five delivered clutch baskets at various points in the game.
Early in the contest, it was senior center Tony Boyle scoring eight of his 12 points, as SIU bolted to an 18-7 lead.
"That was one of the worst starts I've been associated with in a long time," said Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall. "(Boyle) went to work on our freshman [Garrett Stutz]. We didn't want to come off their shooters, because they are shooting so well."
Although Boyle left the game with two fouls, forward Carlton Fay got hot, knocking down a pair of 3-point shots, and SIU pulled out to a 35-25 halftime lead.
In the second half, it was SIU's backcourt that did most of the damage. Freshman Ryan Hare slashed his way to the basket, scoring 12 of his game-high 18 points. Fellow freshmen Kevin Dillard joined in, draining a pair of 3-pointers on his way to a 14-point outing.
Things got interesting, though, when the Shockers cut the deficit to one on a 3-pointer by Clevin Hannah with 8:37 remaining.
Facing a wall of sound from a frenzied Shocker crowd, SIU calmly ran off eight-straight points, starting with a 3-pointer by Bryan Mullins, followed by a pair of Hare free throws and then a Fay triple to silence the crowd.
"Earlier in the year, we probably would have gone on a four or five-minute drought," Mullins said. "I think we're just maturing."
Wichita State applied a full-court press for most of the second half, but Mullins was up to the challenge, distributing seven assists to go with no turnovers. He also made all three of his 3-point shots and tallied 13 points.
"With heavy pressure late in the game, with full-court traps and other things they were trying to do to rattle us, Bryan did a great job of directing and leading," said Saluki head coach Chris Lowery.
Dillard agreed. "Bryan kept us all calm out there," he said. "I admit I got a little rattled sometimes."
Mullins said he was more impressed with the play of Dillard and Hare. "It's my fourth time being here, and I've played in all types of environments," he said. "Kevin and Ryan played huge for us. They're growing up and understanding what it takes to win."
Although Wichita State closed the gap to 64-60 with 5:52 to go, Southern ended the game on a 10-2 run to seal the victory.
"It just seemed like every time we almost got a stop, they get it to a shooter and pull a rabbit out of the hat," Marshall said.
The Salukis were calmly efficient from 3-point range, making 8-of-10 shots from the perimeter on the night. Five of the triples came in the second half.
"To come and finish it off on the road, I think it helps our younger kids understand what we're about -- being solid on defense and timely offense on the other end," Lowery said.
The win helped ease some of the pain of losing back-to-back home games last week.
"If we continue to take off, like I think we can, then these young freshmen will win more games," Lowery said.
Added Mullins, "Coach always says confidence is a win away. We got our win, and we hope it's a springboard."
