CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Southern Illinois men’s basketball team outscored Howard by 20 in the second half en route to a 83-69 win over Howard on Monday night at SIU Arena. SIU held Howard scoreless for more than five minutes in a 16-0 run early in the second half to earn the win.
SIU (2-2), coming off a wire-to-wire win two days ago against Arkansas Pine Bluff, looked like it might cruise to another easy victory after pulling out to a quick 11-point lead less than eight minutes into the game. But SIU committed 15 first-half turnovers, and Howard’s Charles Williams made it hurt with 21 first-half points on 7-for-13 shooting. Williams led a 19-0 run for Howard (4-1) that saw the high-powered Bison take a 39-33 lead into the break.
“There were two of them that we were all over him (Williams) and he just made shots,” SIU head coach Barry Hinsonsaid. “I don’t say this sarcastically: it’s really fun to see a player get into the zone.”
SIU senior guard Marcus Bartley scored 18 points on an incredibly efficient 6-for-7 shooting, and he also led the second-half defensive effort against Williams. After Williams hit three 3-pointers in the final 2:29 of the first half, Bartley blanketed him to start the second half and held him to only one 3-point attempt in the first eight minutes of the half, which Williams missed. In that time, Southern’s offense went on a 24-7 run to turn a six-point halftime deficit into an 11-point lead.
“Marcus has taken the approach that he wants to be a defensive player,” Hinson said. “He is tired of people telling him he’s not a defensive player. You see what he’s done the last two games. It’s pretty impressive.”
The exclamation point on that stretch was a 16-0 SIU run in which the Salukis held Howard without a point for more than five minutes. Howard entered the game undefeated at 4-0, having just beaten UMass on the road, and averaging 97 points per game.
Six different players put up double-figure numbers in at least one statistical category. Bartley (18), Sean Lloyd Jr.(17) and Darius Beane (12) all scored in double figures. Both starting big men, Kavion Pippen (11) and Thik Bol (10) had double-figure rebounds; and point guard Aaron Cook set a career high with 10 assists.
Beane’s 12 points came on 5-of-7 shooting and was on the heels of an eight-rebound, four assist game on Saturday against Arkansas Pine Bluff.
“I’ve said this all along: I think he’s going to be a special player,” Hinson said of Beane. “He’s coming into his own. When we talk about fast, Darius Beane, Eric McGill and Aaron Cook are three of the fastest cats you’re going to find in college basketball.”
Hinson opened his emotional post-game press conference with the tragic news that a relative of assistant coach Anthony Beane Sr. and Darius Beane had been killed in a Chicago shooting earlier in the day.
“I would like for our fans to keep that family and the other family members in their prayers,” he concluded. (Watch head coach Barry Hinson‘s postgame press conference on YouTube)
UP NEXT: The Salukis face UMass at 12:30 p.m. CT on Thanksgiving Day in the Continental Tire Las Vegas Holiday Invitational. SIU will face either Tulsa or No. 6 Nevada on Friday, depending on first-round results. Both games will be televised nationally on FS1.
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