Salukis come up aces in Vegas

Dual comeback wins mark second trip west

By Jason Maholy

Southern Illinois didn’t play consistently great basketball during a two-game weekend sojourn to Las Vegas, but may have played its best ball of the season when it mattered most as the Salukis stole two victories by coming from behind in the final minutes of both contests.

The Salukis defeated San Diego in dramatic fashion Saturday night, when they scored the game’s final 13 points in a 70-68 win; then followed that with a 67-66 victory Sunday over San Francisco, made possible by sophomore guard Kevin Dillard’s driving layup with 12 seconds left. The heart-stopping triumphs sent the Dawgs back to Carbondale at 7-2 and winners of four straight as they prepare to start the Missouri Conference Valley schedule Dec. 29 against Indiana State at SIU Arena.

Southern came into the Holiday Hoops Classic with more questions than answers regarding how much they’ve improved since last season. The Salukis’ five wins prior to the Vegas trip had all been by at least 10 points against markedly inferior competition, and they were never seriously challenged in any of those games. In the team’s two losses to UNLV and Saint Louis, they showed immaturity and an inability to mount much of a comeback once they fell behind – problems that plagued them during last season’s 13-18 effort. It was uncertain heading into the weekend whether these guys would be able to execute down the stretch and pull out tight games.

The Dawgs answered that question in both games. Why they were in that position against the Toreros and Dons -- teams that came into the weekend a combined 8-13 and lost to South Florida by 20 and 10 points, respectively, during the two-game stint -- is a legitimate question; but a win is a win, so give these Salukis credit for hanging tough, fighting back and making plays at both ends of the floor in crunch time. They showed, despite their flaws, that they’re progressing in their mental preparedness and resiliency, while at the same time learning how to make key defensive stops and turning those stops into points at the other end. SIU was down as many as 15 points to San Diego and trailed 42-29 at halftime, but limited the Toreros to 4-for-24 from the field in the second stanza and held them without a field goal for the final 7:27.

It is also evident players are settling into roles, and that guys such as Dillard, Justin Bocot and Carlton Fay aren’t afraid to – and can hit -- clutch shots. Dillard scored 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting, dished out seven assists and pulled down six rebounds against San Diego, while Bocot poured in a game-high 22 points while hitting two crucial 3-pointers, making a key steal and draining two free throws during the 13-point, game-ending flurry. Fay’s two free throws with 2.5 seconds left turned out to be the winning points.

Sophomore center Nick Evans, meanwhile, was able to put possibly his worst performance of the season (four points, 1-for-5 from the field, one rebound, five turnovers and four personal fouls) behind him to block a shot and grab a critical rebound down the stretch.

It was Dillard and Fay playing heroes again against San Francisco in a game in which the Salukis trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half. A trey by Dillard and two more by Fay brought the Dawgs to within four at the break, and both players made key plays in the game’s waning minutes to help Southern come out on top. Dillard finished with 18 points (8-of-12 from the field, 2-of-3 from 3-point range) and nine assists and made the game-winning shot on a play designed for him, while Fay scored 15 points and hit three of his six tries from behind the arc.

Senior guard Tony Freeman contributed 14 points and forced Dons’ guard Kwame Vaughn to take a difficult shot on the game’s final play, sealing the victory. Evans scored just six points but had three blocks and two steals, and is beginning to establish himself as an interior defensive presence.

SIU won’t play next until the Sycamores come calling next Tuesday, and the long layoff will be welcome with junior guard Jack Crowder already out (shoulder) and junior guard John Freeman and freshman center Eugene Teague seeing limited action because of injuries. Freeman, one of the team’s best defenders who had played himself into the starting lineup during just his first year with the program, played just 20 minutes in Vegas due to a nagging hamstring injury. Having a healthy Freeman and Teague will be essential during the conference season, which is looking more foreboding by the day as teams like Wichita State (10-1) and Missouri State (10-0) have gotten off to fast starts to join preseason favorite Northern Iowa (8-1) and a formidable Illinois State (8-2) squad as contenders in the Valley.

The Salukis have not been as impressive as any of those teams and are for now bunched in with Indiana State, Bradley and Creighton in the middle of the Valley pack. The Dawgs have made progress, but are still learning how to win and how to bring 40 minutes of intensity each and every game. The comeback wins in Vegas are encouraging, but the fact they were on the verge of losing both of those contests to teams that likely won’t be playing any sort of significant postseason ball is evidence this squad has a ways to go before it can be considered a legitimate threat to the conference crown. This team is still too inconsistent all around, but particularly on defense, which they must shore up if they are to have any chance against the top Valley teams. San Diego shot 66.7 percent in the first half and even after making just four shots in the second half finished at 48.9 percent, while San Francisco shot 49.7 percent from the field. Neither of those teams possesses the talent or offensive firepower of Northern Iowa, Illinois State, Creighton or Wichita State.

SIU will also need more consistent offensive contributions from Bocot (7.6 ppg) and Anthony Booker (7.1 ppg) because defenses are going to key on stopping Dillard and Fay, who have emerged as this team’s go-to scorers. Bocot has proven capable of scoring 20 points on any given night, but is too often too inconsistent to be a major factor. Booker has been playing better of late but has yet to establish himself as the inside scoring threat he must be in order to provide his teammates open lanes and good looks at the hoop. He has been the slowest of the Salukis’ youngsters to develop and every so often appears on the cusp of greatness, only to take a step back and keep questions alive about his durability and desire. The emergence of Dillard and Fay, the steadiness provided by Tony Freeman, and the development of Evans and Bocot will keep the Salukis competitive in a rugged Valley, but whether Booker can take his game to the next level may be the difference between this team being a contender or also-ran.