Carbondale, Ill. - Southern Illinois trounced Saint Louis 67-41 tonight in a non-conference men's basketball game at SIU Arena. Salukis guard Mike Dale's 15 points led a swarming SIUC attack that featured four players in double figures.
"I compliment (SIUC head coach) Chris Lowery on the way his team is playing, because I remember my first year as a head coach at this level, and it's not easy," Billikens head coach Brad Soderberg said. "They're aggressive, strong, tough and playing with a great deal of confidence."
With the game tied at 15 after a Reggie Bryant basket with 7:34 to play in the half, the Salukis went on a 15-1 run and held the Bills scoreless for nearly five minutes. SIUC cruised to a 34-21 halftime lead as guard Mike Dale came off the bench and poured in 12 points while making 3-of-4 treys. The Bills hurt themselves with 11 turnovers and 2-of-7 shooting from the free throw line.
The Billikens scored the first four points of the second half as Izik Ohanon rebounded his own miss from in close and center Tom Frericks knocked down a pair of free throws. But the Salukis ripped off the next 10 points to put the game away.
"What's puzzling is that the loss of four seniors from last year's team has sent us in this direction," Soderberg said. "The first thing we need to do is raise our effort and level of intensity. We can talk about offense and defense, but we need to consistently play harder."
The Salukis (8-2) shot 45 percent from the field, 35.3 percent from threeland and 87.5 percent from the free throw line. SIUC had 13 steals that led to 21 Saint Louis turnovers. Salukis Darren Brooks tossed in 11, while Tony Young and Stetson Hairston each threw in 10.
Saint Louis did not have a double-figure scorer as Frericks led the Bills with seven points. Vas'Shun Newborne topped the Bills with five rebounds. The Bills shot 38.1 percent from the field, 30 percent from the arc and only 50 percent from the free throw line.
The Billikens (2-8) take a few days for a Christmas break and host Southeast Missouri State at Savvis Center on Wed., Dec. 29, at 7:10 p.m.
