March 18, 2008

By Tom Weber
www.SIUSalukis.com

Box Score -- Photo Gallery

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois had little trouble dispatching Oklahoma State in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament Tuesday night at SIU Arena, 69-53.

The Salukis (18-14) never trailed in the game and outscored the Cowboys, 29-15, in the final 10 minutes of the game. The performance was all the more remarkable considering SIU's starting point guard and playmaker, Bryan Mullins, is out for the season with a leg injury.

"The kids sucked it up and battled," Saluki head coach Chris Lowery said. "We handled the ball by committee. It helped us grow together. Bryan wasn't there, so it had to come from all of them."

Joshua Bone took Mullins spot in the starting lineup and sparked the team with 11 points, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range. Teammate Tyrone Green contributed a career-high eight assists with no turnovers.

"What Tyrone did tonight was special," said Matt Shaw, who led Southern with 21 points and nine rebounds. "Handling the ball like that, fighting guys, having eight assists and not turning the ball over - that's pretty special."

The Cowboys never found a groove on offense. They missed their first 11 shots from 3-point range and finished 4-of-25 from outside the arc.

"We knew that they were the terrific defensive team," said OSU head coach Sean Sutton. "They're a good basketball team, certainly hard to beat at home."

SIU held the Cowboys 16 points below their season scoring average.

"They are a very talented team and we knew that going into it," Shaw said. "We really talked about overcoming a talented, athletic team with our defense, playing hard, doing all the little things that we always pride ourselves on.

Southern dominated the low blocks, out-rebounding the Cowboys, 39-21. Randal Falker had nine rebounds for SIU, including five offensive boards.

"I knew that he (Falker) was a really good player because we played against him as a freshman," Sutton said. "We should have double-teamed him more. He's a tough match up."

Lowery was pleased to see his team bounce back from disappointing losses at home to Illinois State in the regular-season finale and in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament.

"My guys were ready to play," he said. "We wanted to play again. We took the NIT very serious. It was another chance for us to play. They just played great. I'm proud of them, and I'm happy for them."

The Salukis will play at Arizona State on Thursday at 9 p.m. MST (11 p.m. Central). The game will be televised on ESPN2.