2011 Missouri Valley Conference Basketball

Indiana State Sycamores @ Southern Illinois Salukis Basketball Recap

Indiana State 77, Southern Illinois 72

The Indiana State Sycamores won’t win the regular-season Missouri Valley Conference title. They can make noise at Arch Madness, the MVC Tournament. In order to show that they’re ready for March, the Sycamores need to show that they can win under daunting circumstances in tough environments.

They did exactly that on Wednesday night in an enemy lair.

Indiana State weathered a game opening eight minute scoring drought, bouncing back in strong fashion to pull off a win at SIU Arena in Carbondale, Illinois. The Salukis jumped out to a 12-0 lead before the Sycamores were able to get on the board. But after that slow start, Indiana State exploded to finish the first half on a 34-13 run and ended up winning 77-72 behind a strong offensive performance.

The Sycamores got on the board on a Jordan Printy three-pointer, and quickly followed that up with two more three-pointers to make the lead 12-9. Southern Illinois head coach Chris Lowery could do nothing but watch as the floodgates quickly opened for the Sycamores. Aided by 10 Saluki turnovers in 12 minutes, Indiana State exploded, turning its dozen-point deficit into a 34-25 lead. The leverage that had so quickly flowed to the upset-minded hosts was immediately and (moreover) substantially re-directed to the visitors from Terre Haute, Indiana.

For Missouri Valley Conference and other college basketball tickets or 2011 NCAA Tournament tickets, look to Ticket City and DFN Sports sites!

In the second half, the Salukis took better care of the ball, committing just four turnovers. ISU didn’t get the cheap baskets it received so copiously in the first half. This kind of in-game shift can rob a team of its confidence and its ability to perform; when good things arrive so easily for a period of time, it can be very hard to then earn baskets once an opponent tightens up its game and becomes much more airtight in all aspects of competition. However, Indiana State and its coaching staff were able to make the right adjustments while keeping their players attentive to the details that mattered.

With Southern Illinois finding its footing and making it harder for ISU to score, the visitors had the answer at the ready. Coach Greg Lansing and the Sycamores went to a different offensive strategy, spreading the floor and attacking the hoop with their guards. It worked, as the Sycamores shot 57 percent in the half and took 20 free throws. The steady procession to the charity stripe allowed them to weather the Saluki’s various mini-runs and remain ahead in the game, all the way to the finish line.
The Salukis were paced by Carlton Fay, who delivered 24 points, including five three-pointers. Kendal Brown-Surles and Diamond Taylor each scored 12 points in the loss, the Salukis' seventh in eight games. For the Sycamores, Jake Odum led the way with 16 points. He had just two shots fall, but went 12-of-12 from the line to make up for the off night at the offensive end of the floor. Dwayne Lathan added 11 points as the Sycamores won their third straight game.

By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Staff Writer