From Tony McDaniel – SIU Sports Information

CARBONDALE – Southern Illinois softball enters the 2018 season hoping to run to its first back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearance since 2006 and 2007.

Last season, the Salukis won 10 of their final 12 games against Missouri Valley Conference opponents on their way to the MVC Tournament Championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament at the Oxford, Mississippi Regional.

With 2017 in the books, the 2018 Salukis are ready to write their own story.

“Last year we made a list of commitments. One of last year’s commitments was to be the best version of that team that we could be. We felt like we achieved that” Head coach Kerri Blaylocksaid. “This year, we rolled that commitment over again. We want to be the best version of this year’s team that we can be. You always have new people, new dynamics, new coaches and so on. What happened last year was awesome. Now we’re focused on doing the best we can for this group.”

While 2018 can be a big year for the team’s players, it will also be a historic one for the team’s head coach. Blaylock is entering her 19^th season at the helm of the Saluki softball program and is knocking on the door of some major milestones. Blaylock currently has 628 wins and is just six wins away from passing Kay Brechtelsbauer for Southern’s all-time lead in program wins. Brechtelsbauer’s mark currently stands at 633 wins. Blaylock will also manage her 1,000^th game on March 14^th against UT-Martin barring any cancelations due to weather. She is also eight wins shy of her 300^th win in the Missouri Valley Conference.

This season, the Salukis return a core of the 2017 team after losing just three seniors. While some of those seniors were impact players, the Salukis have the pieces in place to fill the vacancies left by the team’s graduating players.

Among the leading returners for the approaching season are the team’s senior captains Sydney Jones, Savannah Fisher and Savanna Dover. The three players make up a combined 352 starts and provides a core of experienced leadership to the defending MVC Tournament Champions.

“All three of these players are four-year starters. They’ve been in the program and they’ve been through great leadership. They understand what it takes,” Blaylock said. “It was a natural fit for our three. A cool thing that we have though is that Brittany Turner and Haley Andrus are both really good teammates and people. They have some natural leadership traits. Our three captains are our go to leaders, but all five seniors are pretty special.”

Jones and Fisher will lead an infield that returns four of its five starters from 2017. Jones and returning sophomores Katelyn Massa and Maddy Vermejan are all back after a season that earned all three of them All-MVC honors. Jones was a second-team selection thanks in part to her team-leading 9 home runs from 2017. Jones also turned in a .970 fielding percentage while playing the majority of her games at the hot corner.

Massa and Vermejan were both second-team selections in their first season with the Salukis. Massa unseated a senior to start in 43 games as a catcher or designated player in 2017. The freshman hit .297 with 22 RBI and five home runs while also posting a perfect fielding percentage and throwing out 11 runners attempting to steal. As for Vermejan, she hit .284 with 7 doubles and 20 RBI while posting a .990 fielding percentage that helped her add an All-MVC Defensive Team selection to her resume.

The only infield position that Southern does not return a starter for is first base, which departed senior Shaye Harre played for the last four seasons. Harre is tough to replace for Southern. She led the league in walks and doubles in 2017 and is the school record holder in career doubles and RBI and the single-season record holder in walks and doubles.

Luckily for the Salukis, a player that Harre mentored in 2017, sophomore Kyleigh Decker is slated to take the bulk of the starts at first in 2018. Last year, she played in 40 games and started 17 for Southern. Decker had a home run and five RBI in 2017.

“Kyleigh is a trained shortstop from the time she was little. She is very, very athletic. She’s done a great job over there at first,” Blaylock said. “As far as catching the ball and fielding the ball, she’s done a great job. You can’t say enough about her athleticism.”

Junior first baseman Jordan Spicer is the newest addition to the Saluki roster; she joined the team as a transfer from Belmont. Spicer started 89 games as a freshman and sophomore for the Bruins totaling seven home runs and 51 RBI. Spicer hit .319 for Belmont in 2017. She will get some starts at first in the upcoming season, but will likely see most of her playing time as a designated player.

Another important senior infielder returning in 2018 is Haley Andrus who will see time at third base and designated player in 2018. Andrus played mostly as a designated player in 2017 making 34 starts in 38 appearances. Andrus totaled 17 hits, a double, a home run and 12 RBI last season.

Southern also returns sophomore Bailee Pulley in 2018. Pulley appeared in 36 games and made one start last year playing mostly as a pinch runner. She scored 14 runs in her 2017 role.

In the outfield, the Salukis are returning two of their three starters from 2017 in junior Eyrika Brandenburg and sophomore Susie Baranski. Brandenburg hit .309 in 2017 for Southern with 28 runs scored and 23 RBI. Her 3 triples were tied for fifth best in the league. For Baranski, the young Saluki led the team in hits with 53, at-bats with 171 and is the leading returning player in walks with 31 and steals with 9. Baranski led the league in at-bats and total plate appearances and was top-10 in the MVC in runs scored, hits and walks.

Southern will have to replace another big bat in former centerfielder Merri Anne Patterson, but again, the pieces are in place to do so.

“We’re probably going to a freshman, Jenny Jansen, in centerfield as well as Maris Boelens a little bit,” Blaylock said. “Jenny can play center, short, third, really anywhere we want her. She is a phenomenal athlete. Maris is one of those truly gifted outfielders that can make it look really easy when she tracks down a ball.”

Jansen won back-to-back state championships in Missouri while hitting .538 with 14 home runs and 128 RBI and 40 steals in her time at Warrenton High School. Jansen was a four-time all-state selection in Missouri as a softball player and made the team two more times as a basketball player.

As for Boelens, she helped Alleman High School in Aledo, Illinois to a state championship in 2014 and won NSA National Championships in 2016 and 17 with her club team and third-place finish at the USSSA World Series in 2014. Boelens hit .438 with a .570 on-base percentage in 2015.

Megan Brown could be in the mix to fill the third outfield spot as well as returning senior outfielder Brittany Turner.

Turner played in 43 games and made one start in 2017. The majority of her action came as a pinch runner. She stole 3 bases on 4 attempts last season and had 4 putouts on 4 chances in the field.

Brown played for Dupo High School in Dupo, Ill. where she was an All-Conference, All-Metro and All-Area team selection all four years in high school. She also helped Dupo to a second place finish at the IHSA State Championship in 2016. Brown was a career .488 hitter with 22 home runs in high school.

Blaylock’s teams have always been led by strong pitching backed up by a solid defense. While she expects that to remain the same this season, Blaylock is fired up about her team’s offense.

“Coming out of preseason practice, I’m excited about watching our hitters hit,” Blaylock said. “I feel like Jen Sewell has prepared them so well and I’m excited to see that part of it. I’m super excited about our offense.”

As for Southern’s pitchers, its top-two arms return from 2017 including Dover and the staff’s ace Brianna Jones. Jones posted a 2.14 ERA in 2017 with 18 wins, 128 strikeouts and just 33 walks. Jones was top-10 in the MVC in wins, strikeouts, starts, appearances, games finished, saves and walks allowed. Her stellar marks earned her a spot on the Missouri Valley Conference first-team for the second-straight year. Jones also threw her first no-hitter last season in a February 11 game against Mississippi Valley State.

Dover, who was mentioned earlier as a team captain, posted a 2.87 ERA with 7 wins, 3 shutouts 56 strikeouts and an opposing batting average of .245. Dover was top-10 in the league last season in hits allowed, runs and earned runs allowed, walks allowed, doubles allowed and home runs allowed.

Southern’s third pitcher is Brown who adds the role to her role as an outfielder.

“Megan was a very good high school pitcher.  She has command of the strike zone and is such a competitor.  She competes in everything she does which is why she will definitely get playing time,” Blaylock said. “I feel very good about where our pitching staff is right now.  They are experienced and tested.  I am looking for them to be settled and ready to go our first weekend out.”

Two more freshman join Jansen, Brown and Boelens as Saluki pups looking to make their mark. Shelby Hodo joins Massa on the roster as the only other player listed at catcher. In high school, she was the 5-6A Catcher of the Year in Texas and a member of the 5A All-State team in the state. Hodo helped her travel team, the Texas Glory, to the No. 14 ranking in the nation and a second place finish at the USSSA Nationals.

Freshman Meredith Wernig could feature as an infielder for the Salukis following a successful career for Lutheran South in Imperial, Mo. Wernig hit .487 with 27 RBI, 14 doubles and 4 home runs for her high school team.

Southern opens the 2018 season on Feb. 9 with a doubleheader against Abilene Christian and Texas-San Antonio in San Antonio, Texas. The Salukis home opener is March 2 against Illinois and Murray State when the Salukis host the Coach B Classic. Valley play opens at home this year when Southern hosts Loyola in a double header on March 17. The season culminates in the MVC Championship in Des Moines, Iowa, May 10-13.

“We’re excited to get going,” Blaylock said. “We need to get our kids in game action. We need to play against someone that isn’t ourselves. We need to hit against somebody besides the coaching staff. The season is a marathon, not a sprint. Last year the most important part of the race was the end. If we can just keep that in mind, we will be good.”

By Tom Weber- SIU Sports Information 

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois scored nine unanswered points in the final two minutes to rally from a three-point deficit and beat Valparaiso, 65-59, in front of a raucous crowd of 5,694 at SIU Arena on Saturday night.

The Salukis (16-9, 8-4) played from behind most of the game, but drew energy from a packed student section to make a late surge.

Saluki Center Kavion Pippen survived his mid season slump, with 21 points six boards and four steals in SIU’s win last night. (Madison Case, SIU Sports Information, photo)

Trailing, 59-56, SIU center Kavion Pippen scored over 7-foot-2 center Derrik Smits, was fouled and completed the three-point play to tie it with 2:07 to go. After both teams had empty possessions, SIU’s Armon Fletcher hit the biggest shot of the game, draining a 3-pointer from the left corner with 44 seconds left to break the tie. The crowd erupted and everyone in the building could sense the tide had irreversibly shifted.

“I cried,” said SIU head coach Barry Hinson, who grabbed the mic afterward and thanked the crowd. “I cry at a great-looking piece of brisket. I was emotional. I want to tell you right now, we don’t win the game unless it’s for the crowd.”

The game had big implications for Southern, which won its fifth-straight game and took sole possession of second place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings behind Loyola. The last four wins have all been decided in the game’s final minutes.

“With four minutes to go, for whatever reason, this year’s team lights up,” Hinson said. “We certainly don’t panic. We embrace it.”

The Crusaders (12-13, 3-9), who seemed to have answer to every Saluki run, missed their final five shots. Newcomers to the MVC, Valpo is still in search of its first league road win.

“I thought our youth showed a little bit tonight, but we were right there and if we execute a little better down the stretch and make some free throws, the outcome would be different,” said Valparaiso head coach Matt Lottich. Tevonn Walker led Valpo with 16 points but missed three crucial free throws late, including a one-and-one.

Both teams shot 49 percent form the field, but both teams struggled from long distance. SIU made 3-of-15 from three, while Valpo hit 6-of-19. The difference in the game was Pippen’s 21 points in the post and Southern’s 24-11 advantage in free throws. Both of Valparaiso’s 7-footers picked up four fouls.

“Our bigs weren’t allowed to be very aggressive,” said Lottich. “I think we got a little bit tentative and (Pippen) was able to get some deep spots on us.”

Valparaiso built a 31-25 halftime advantage despite committing 14 first-half turnovers. The Salukis had plenty of first-half opportunities but seemed to press on offense. They were just 1-of-10 from 3-point range.

“We kind of reverted back to our old ways there, took bad shots, became selfish, let our offense dictate how we played defense,” Hinson said.

The final 10 minutes of the game had fans on the edge of their seats with 10 ties or lead changes. SIU couldn’t string together a run and sew up the win until it absolutely had to.

A very loud crowd of nearly 6K was on hand to watch the Saluki’s comeback win against Valpo last night.

“I told our staff before the game we’re going to struggle today because of the crowd,” Hinson said. “I’ve been in it too long. We won’t the next time. I think we’ll embrace it next time. We were too juiced up. We looked like deer in the headlights.”

The victory was No. 300 for Hinson, who is in his 17th year as a Division I head coach.

“I’ve had the opportunity to coach basketball for 37 years,” he said. “God has blessed me being surrounded by unbelievable student-athletes and great assistant coaches.”

Last year’s maroon out game at the Arena (SIU Media Services photo)

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois hosts Valparaiso on Saturday night in a special Maroon Out game at SIU Arena. The Salukis are aiming for their first five-game winning streak in two years (the 2015-16 squad won six straight). The last time SIU won five-straight conference games was when it won 10 in a row during the 2006-07 Sweet 16 season. During the current winning streak, SIU is shooting .539 from the field and .463 from 3-point, while averaging 75.8 points per game.

The Salukis are 2-3 all-time versus Valparaiso with wins in 1979 and 1980, and losses in 1929, 1956 and 2018. The teams met at Valparaiso on Jan. 6, a game the Crusaders won, 83-72. Valpo used a 23-2 run in the final eight minutes of the first half to take control of the game. SIU’s Armon Fletcher had a career night with 32 points and 14 rebounds.

Head coach Barry Hinson met with the media prior to Thursday’s practice.

Valpo’s 7-footers gave you some problems the first game (Jan. 6) — what has to be different this time?
First of all, we have to play better. I specifically remember this game. Aaron (Cook) shouldn’t have played, he had the flu. Rudy (Stradnieks) had the flu. We had what I would say was a despicable day of preparation the day before Valpo — so bad that I threw them out of practice. We didn’t play hard. This wasn’t a fluke. They just absolutely whipped our butts. Certainly they have size, they destroyed us on the interior, they destroyed on the exterior. If we don’t play better the same result will happen. You can’t look at places in this league. You can’t look at records. We did everything we could do to beat Indiana State here, and Valpo beat them last night. Next game up, next play, here we go. That will continue to be our message.

Is there actually something you as coaches can do to improve the start of second halves? It’s up to the players, right?
I’m going to tell you what I did at Drake. We’d had it two-straight games in a row. At halftime I made all the managers and all the coaches come into the coaches locker room, separate of our players. I said, ‘when we walk out this door, I want nothing but positive energy. When we get out on the bench, I want you out on the floor, I want you tapping them, getting them going and all this stuff.’ I really thought I was going to get these guys going, and then (Drake) started whooping our butts. To answer the question, we’re going to do some different stuff with warmup and how we come back out on the floor as a group. Right now, we’re doing what I call the NBA two-line layup warmup. We’re more worried about how we look than getting our bodies ready. We’re going to come out with an absolute organized warmup (on Saturday).

How much pressure has there been on (Kavion) Pippen to be a difference maker?
I think we’re all dealing with pressure. We have no margin for error, none, zero. Even the guys coming off the bench, I hope they don’t feel pressure. It’s our responsibility as a staff to get these guys as comfortable to play as they can be on the floor, but they know, you’re magnified. If you come in the game and you don’t produce, and if you can’t help us, you can’t stay out there very long. Kavion hit the lull like most junior college players do. When we recruited Kavion, we recruited him to be the backup to Thik (Bol). Never once did he think he would be playing 30-plus minutes. Never once in junior college or high school did this young man play the amount of minutes that he’s playing right now, nor did he have the workload of what a student-athlete does every day. When that hits you, there’s going to be a period when that wears you down. I think we’ve gone through that lull period and he’s getting his second wind, and we need him to play well for us to be successful, specifically on Saturday.

Is there a part of you that’s afraid you peaked too early?
No. My experience has always been that the people that play well down the stretch play well in the last two weeks of January and the month of February. That’s the key. If you look at a week before the halfway mark, I told you guys to relax, not foreseeing what we’d do, but I specifically said that. I’ve been in this a long time, been in this league when they wanted to send the trophy at the halfway mark to somebody. It’s a long season, there’s a lot of games to go, there’s a lot of things that can happen on both sides. We feel like we’ve had some upsets. I don’t feel like we’ve gone into any games where you would say people upset us. I think we’re the underdog. Quite frankly, with the amount of guys we have, I think we’re going to be the underdog in every game we play. I’m ok with that. I’ll accept that role in a heartbeat.

What would win No. 300 in your career mean to you?
Hmm. First I’ve thought about it. I think it just tells you how fortunate I’ve been to have the amount of good players and great assistants. I think it speaks volumes with that right there. We have put ourselves in a position where you guys, I know you didn’t think we’d be this time of the year. Let’s just continue to do what we’re doing.

Have you gotten any reports on ticket sales for Saturday?
I’ve talked to our ticket office, our marketing people, our administration, and they said the phones are ringing off the wall, which is great news. I go out to eat every day, every lunch, and everywhere I’ve been people are excited and said they can’t wait to get to the game. We have special stuff planned for this game, specifically for our students, the dawg pound. I think it’s going to be an exciting atmosphere. It would be nice in all honesty, you have Valpo, Bradley, Loyola on Senior Night, and you have Missouri State, I think we have four games coming up, I’ll be disappointed if we don’t start tapping the 7,000 mark. You guys can help us with that as much as anything, spread the word.

Dawg Bites
•With a lifetime record of 299-232, Barry Hinson needs one more win to reach the 300-win plateau in his career.
•SIU has shot better than 50 percent during the second half in six-straight games.
•Five of SIU’s seven conference wins are by five points or less. The Salukis are 6-2 in games decided by five points or less this season.
•Barry Hinson (262) passed Gregg Marshall (261) on Saturday for fourth all-time among league coaches in wins.

From the Sports Information Department, Fontbonne University.

NOTE:  Christopher graduate Josh Calloni is on the Fontbonne JV team.  He did not see any varsity action in this game.  Since it was just outside our region, I thought the score was worth sharing – Steve

GREENVILLE, Ill.— By far the craziest game to date, one that the fans and players will remember forever, the Fontbonne University men’s basketball team set a school-record with 164 points in its 10-point (164-154) overtime win over Greenville. The two teams combined for 318 points which is a SLIAC and NCAA Division III single-game record.

The previous single-game record at Fontbonne was set all the way back in 1994 when the Griffins put up 154 points on St. Louis Christian College. The combined points of 318 also breaks a 23-year NCAA Division III record that was held back on November 19^th, 1994, when Simpson (167) and Grinnell (148) combined for 315 points.

The two teams also combined for 125 rebounds and that breaks the previous 14-year record that was most recently tied at 124 between Chapman (65) and Redlands (59).

The Griffins (4-16; 2-11 SLIAC), were leading throughout the game up until Greenville finally got the lead at 142-141 on Vari Bonney’s bucket at 1:01. Then, with 24.0 seconds left, Josias Parker hit a fall away bank shot to give Greenville a 144-141 advantage.

However, Kris McCann raced up the court, made his shot and got fouled on the play. He went on to make the bucket to tie the game at 144-144 with 15.0 seconds remaining. McCann had himself a memorable night where he went 16-of-20 from the floor to finish with a career-high 40 points and dished out 10 assists.

The Panthers had the chance to win the game with seconds remaining, however, the team missed all four of its shots and it was off to overtime.

In overtime, at the 3:35 mark, Luke DeLine, who returned to the lineup for the first time since January 10^th, hit a corner 3-pointer to give the Griffins a 150-147 advantage. From there on, the Griffins maintained its composure outscoring the Panthers 20-10 en route to the 10-point win.

On the night, Fontbonne missed just 25 shots, going 60-of-85 to finish with a school-record 70.6 field goal percentage. The team shot 73.8 percent from the field in the first half, 68.8 percent in the second half and 70.6 percent in overtime.  Jared Woodcockposted a career-high 27 points and boards, while DeLine ended his night with 25 points and 12 rebounds off the bench.

Guard James Wiggins in last night’s action for the Griffins.

Tristan Baker went a perfect 7-of-7 from the field to finish with a career-high 21 points off the bench. James Wiggins added a career-high 17 points of his own, while Noah Coddington contributed 15 points and a career-high 17 rebounds, 16 of which came on the defensive side of the glass.

Greenville (12-8; 9-4 SLIAC), takes the tough defeat as its 154-point total is the most points scored by a losing team. The Panthers put up 139 shots, including 79 3-pointers and 33 free throws. They shot 41.0 percent from the floor and 30.4 percent from downtown, but struggled at the line connecting on 16 of its attempts.

They had seven players reach double-figures with Riley Simmons scoring a team-high 22 points on 8-of-17 shooting. Isiah Price and Johari Dix added 18 each, while Vari Bonney (15), Barry Nixon (14) and Josias Parker (13) were the final players to reach double-digits.

In the first half, the Griffins were up 25-19 at 12:58. Then, they rattled off a 12-0 run in two minutes and 30 seconds to take a commanding 37-19 lead on McCann’s jumper. The offense continued its hot-shooting from there as another McCann jumper put Fontbonne ahead 59-39 (4:18).

They maintained that double-digit lead the rest of the way and went into the locker room on top, 78-62. The Griffins shot an outstanding 73.8 percent from the floor, while the Panthers had its struggles at 35.9 percent.

In the second half, the Panthers offense caught fire fast. In one minute and 13 seconds, Greenville went on a 9-2 run to make it an 80-71 outing. They cut it down to five (91-86), at the 15:59 mark, but Fontbonne answered right back on Woodcock’s 3-pointer.

The Griffins maintained its marginal lead up until the Panthers hard fought effort paid off at 12:08, where Isiah Price made both of his free throws to tie the game at 99.

The Panthers eventually got the lead (102-101) on Price’s 3-pointer with 11:43 left in regulation. However, the Griffins took the advantage back on Baker’s free throws less than 45.0 seconds later.

The high paced back-and-forth play continued as the clock ticked away. Then, with 1:14 left, McCann’s jumper gave Fontbonne a 141-140 lead. Greenville got the lead back and stretched it out to three, though McCann answered with the old-fashioned 3-point play to eventually force OT.

From then on, the rest is literally history, as the Griffins outscored the Panthers by 10 and went on for the 164-154 record setting win.

The team looks to build off this monumental win on Saturday as they’ll host Westminster for a 3 p.m., tip-off.

Fans make sure to stay updated on fontbonnegriffins.com throughout the year for full updates and recaps on the men’s basketball team.

By Tom Weber, SIU Sports Information 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — In a thrilling Missouri Valley Conference tilt, Armon Fletcher banked home the game-winner on the right baseline with six seconds left to lift Southern Illinois to a heart-stopping 79-77 win over Missouri State on Saturday.

The Salukis (14-9, 6-4) blistered the nets by shooting 64 percent from the field, including 8-of-13 from 3-point range. They led by as many as 13, but had to hold off a furious comeback by the Bears (15-8, 5-5), who twice tied the game in the final 90 seconds.

Alize Johnson had a 29-point, 12-rebound effort for Missouri State and tied the game, 77-77, with a pair of free throws with 34 seconds to go. Southern did not call a timeout, instead running a play that found center Kavion Pippen posted up with under 10 seconds remaining. He dished to Fletcher on the baseline for the bucket.

“We wanted to run a play on the fly,” said SIU head coach Barry Hinson. “How big a deal is it when you can make a pass to a center, and he can make an assist-pass for a go-ahead basket?”

Missouri State still had six seconds to tie or take the lead as Ronnie Rousseau pushed the ball ahead to Jarrid Rhodes, who launched a 3-pointer that was off the mark and appeared to come after the horn sounded anyway.

“I’ve seen it go both ways,” said MSU head coach Paul Lusk. “You can call a timeout and coach them up and draw something up, then you can’t get the ball in and execute. I believe in letting our guys go. Probably got to get all the way to the rim.”

Five players scored in double figures for Southern, led by Fletcher’s 18. Pippen had 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Tyler Smithpeters buried his first four 3-point shots and had 14 points, while Aaron Cook (11) and Marcus Bartley(10) also had solid offensive games for a Saluki team that made 30-of-47 shots.

Harrisburg’s Tyler Smithpeters pulls up for a three in Southern’s big win over Missouri State (Andrew Case – SIU Media Services)

Southern was almost unstoppable in the first half to the tune of 17-of-23 field goals (73.9). It was the second-best shooting half during the Barry Hinson era at SIU and 11th-best all-time. The Salukis made 6-of-9 from 3-point in the half.

“We couldn’t guard them,” Lusk said. “They really put us in a bind. Their size at the guards, the big kid down low.”

SIU head coach Barry Hinson continued his mastery over the school that fired him in 2009, beating MSU for the sixth-straight time.

“We played about as efficient as we can play,” Hinson beamed.

Picked to win the league title, the Bears are reeling, having lost five of their last seven games. Their woes were compounded this week when two players — Reggie Scurry and Abdul Fofana — suffered serious skin blistering during a team cryotherapy treatment. They are expected to be sidelined for several weeks.

“I’m really pleased with my guys the way they fought,” Lusk said. “We didn’t hang our head. It wasn’t going easy with the way they were scoring the basketball, but we had a chance.”

With the victory, Hinson claimed win No. 262 as a Missouri Valley Conference head coach, passing Wichita State’s Gregg Marshall for fourth place overall. More importantly, the Salukis moved into a tie for second place with Drake in the MVC standings. SIU plays the Bulldogs in Des Moines on Tuesday.

“It’s a helluva victory for us — we needed this, we needed a road win,” said Fletcher.

Box Score

http://siusalukis.com/boxscore.aspx?id=8034&path=mbball

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois resumes conference play on Wednesday night when it travels to Loyola for a 7 p.m. game that will be broadcast live on ESPN3. The Salukis swept three games from the Ramblers last season and are 7-2 versus Loyola since the school joined the league in 2014. Loyola head coach Porter Moser is 2-15 lifetime against SIU between his stops at Loyola and Illinois State. SIU G Armon Fletcher is a career 54 percent shooter in five games against Loyola, including 7-of-13 from 3-point.

Tyler Smithpeters on four-game hot streak

G Tyler Smithpeters (6-4, 203, Sr.) is 10-for-20 from 3-point range in the last four games. For the first time in his career, he scored double figures in three-straight games. A 24-year-old senior who has played in 112 career games, he ranks No. 15 all-time at SIU in 3-pointers with 121. A medical redshirt last season, he is a career .378 shooter from 3-point.

Comeback Kids

Southern Illinois trailed by as many as 14 points before rallying to beat Illinois State, 74-70, on Saturday. It was the program’s biggest comeback since rallying from 18 points down to beat Sam Houston State on Nov. 21, 2015. It marked the second double-digit comeback against the Redbirds in the last two years. The Salukis overcame a 12-point deficit to beat Illinois State on Jan. 12, 2016.

Armon Fletcher increases output after move to “hybrid forward”

Since the Salukis switched to a four-guard offense on Dec. 13 and put G Armon Fletcher (6-5, 207, Jr.) at the “hybrid forward” position, his offensive numbers have shot up.

Position GP PPG RPG FG% 3FG%
Guard 7 11.9 4.7 .460 .296
Hyrbrid 11 16.4 5.7 .521 .385
Fletcher had a career night at Valparaiso on Jan. 6 with 32 points and 14 rebounds. He became the first Saluki player to score 30+ points since Anthony Beane had 31 versus Drake on Feb. 13, 2016.

Kavion Pippen leads team in field goal percentage, blocked shots

Juco transfer C Kavion Pippen (6-10, 240, Jr.) leads the team in field goal percentage (.526) and blocked shots (29). Pippen has scored in double figures in all but five games this season. The nephew of NBA legend Scottie Pippen was named MVC Newcomer of the Week on Nov. 12 and again on Dec. 4. He had a career-high 24-point outing versus Jackson State.

Sean Lloyd Jr. does it all

G Sean Lloyd Jr. (6-5, 210, Jr.) impacts the game in many ways. He is second in scoring (12.3), first in minutes (33.4), first in 3-point shooting (.400), third in assists (2.4), first in steals (1.4) and typically guards the opponent’s top scorer. Lloyd is the nephew of two-time MVC player-of-the-year Lewis Lloyd, who played two seasons at Drake (1980-81) and seven years in the NBA. Another uncle, Daryl Lloyd, also played at Drake and led the team in scoring in 1985 with 17.9 points per game.

Aaron Cook steps up on offense

G Aaron Cook (6-2, 185, So.) has made dramatic improvement in his offensive game as a sophomore.
2016-17 2017-18
Scoring 3.0 PPG 9.2 PPG
FG Percentage .333 .459
3FG Percentage .185 .390

Marcus Bartley for three

After missing the first six games of the season with a broken wrist, Saint Louis transfer G Marcus Bartley (6-5, 193, Jr.) has emerged as a 3-point shooting threat, converting 18-of-50 (.360). He made four treys to key SIU’s win at Northern Iowa. Bartley also has 49 assists and 30 turnovers.

Dawg Bites

•SIU is shooting .345 from 3-point this year. If that holds up, it will be the team’s best percentage since the 2010 team converted .362.
•The Salukis are 23-15 when Tyler Smithpeters makes multiple 3-pointers in a game, including 6-3 this season.
•Barry Hinson (259) needs three wins to pass Gregg Marshall (261) for fourth all-time among MVC coaches.
•The Salukis are 10-1 when they hold an opponent under 70 points and 1-7 when an opponent scores 70 or more.
•SIU has gone 101-consecutive games with at least one 3-point field goal and 1,009-consecutive games with at least one free throw (dating back to 1986).

By Tom Weber – siusalukis.com

CARBONDALE –  In a stunning turnaround during the game’s final seven minutes, Southern Illinois rallied from a 14-point deficit for a thrilling, 74-70 win over Illinois State on Saturday night at SIU Arena.

Saluki hybryd G/F dunks in an early evening win against Illinois State. (SIU Media Services)

Trailing, 61-47, and with few signs of life, the Salukis (11-8, 3-3) went on an exhilarating 20-2 run that whipped a muted crowd of 3,227 into a frenzy. Junior guards Armon Fletcher and Sean Lloyd ignited the comeback, then fed off the energy — scoring 21 of SIU’s final 27 points. Fletcher finished with a game-high 26 points and Lloyd added 14.

Southern’s offense scored on 13 of its final 15 possessions, and the defense forced six turnovers, in a comeback that quickly snowballed. It ended in jubilation with head coach Barry Hinson pumping his fists at midcourt.

In a span of 90 seconds, the Salukis trimmed a 14-point deficit to five, as Kavion Pippen made a layup, Lloyd scored four-straight points, and Tyler Smithpeters hit his third 3-pointer of the game. Illinois State momentarily stopped the bleeding on a dunk by Phil Fayne with 5:19 to go that made it 63-56. He had 24 points to lead the Redbirds (9-9, 3-3).

SIU’s onslaught continued with a thunderous two-hand slam by Fletcher off a feed from Smithpeters, four more points by Lloyd, and then came the game’s biggest play. Still trailing, 63-62, with 3:36 remaining, Fletcher jumped in front of a pass by Isaac Gassman and took it the distance for a throw-down. For good measure, he added a 3-ball on Southern’s next possession, and the comeback was complete.

Illinois State shot a sizzling 57 percent from the field but lost the game because it committed 20 turnovers. Every ISU player had a least one TO.

“I thought if we’d stay locked in and not be immature and think the game’s over, we could have kept the lead at least,” said Illinois State head coach Dan Muller about his team’s late collapse. “Eight turnovers later and 13 out of 15 scores (by SIU) and we lose. It’s getting frustrating, our lack of maturity.”

Southern held ISU’s leading scorer, Milik Yarbrough, to six points and seven turnovers. He was 0-for-5 from 3-point and took several ill-advised shots.

“The reason Milik Yarbrough had six points was we had everybody in the gym guarding him tonight,” said a jubilant SIU head coach Barry Hinson. “We doubled him. Our whole deal was, make the other guys beat us. We just kept saying the three amigos (Yarbrough, Fayne, Keyshawn Evans) can’t beat us. Fayne just about single-handedly did it. In the first half the other guys did beat us.”

The Salukis have an emerging star of their own in Fletcher, an under-sized 6-foot-5 forward, who is averaging 18 points per game in conference play and shooting a remarkable 56 percent from the field.

“I expect Armon to be a good player or a great player,” Hinson said. “I expect Sean Lloyd to be a leader and a player. Our biggest opponent right now is ourselves. We got guys today that got down on themselves. We had guys start the game today that were down on themselves.”

There was little reason to suspect SIU had a comeback in store. The Salukis trailed by double figures early, shot 34 percent in the first half, and gave up lots of easy layups to Fayne inside, who made 11-of-12 field goals. There were key contributions, though, from guys like Smithpeters, who had four steals, and Marcus Bartley, who only scored three points but had seven assists. Pippen turned the ball over four times, but had 13 points and eight boards.

“We’ve got the right ingredients,” Hinson said. “We can build a good cake, but we have no margin for error. The eggs have to do their job, the oil has to do their job, the flour has to do their job, the ingredients have to do their job.”

Hinson said he hopes the momentum from today’s game will carry over when Southern travels to Loyola on Wednesday.

“Every time we win a big game, then the next game we let down,” he said. “It’s like we go to the buffet. It’s like going to the buffet and you go home and your wife says, would you like some more of this or that, and you say, no, no, no — I’m full, I’m satisfied. Gosh dangit, we have to leave the buffet lane early while we’re still a little bit hungry.”