It may seem petty to praise 11 points from bench players.

But for the SIU men’s basketball team Saturday, that 11-point boost was the difference-maker in the Salukis’ 65-56 win over Saint Louis University.

SIU coach Chris Lowery didn’t overlook the contributions from his non-starters.

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“It seems when we were in dire straights, our kids stepped up,” he said. “That’s what you want from your bench. You want them to step up.”

Sophomore guard Wesley Clemmons exemplified that statement.

Clemmons only netted four points, but had a profound impact on the outcome — which was evident with about two minutes remaining in the first half.

Off teammate Jamaal Tatum’s missed jump shot, Clemmons crashed the boards, leapt from the middle of the lane, and slammed home the rebound.

“Wesley Clemmons was big time – with a pull up and that tip-jam,” Lowery said.

The stirring slam brought a crowd of 7,118 to its feet and was part of the Salukis’ 14-0 run that stretched through both halves and put them ahead, 37-27. Once the Salukis (6-1) took the lead, they never relinquished it.

The Billikens (5-2) did creep to within four points midway through the second half, 48-44, and looked as if they could make a push for the lead with SIU starters Matt Shaw and Tony Young in foul trouble.

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Tatum negated those hopes.

The senior guard scored on two straight possessions, including a 3-pointer that put the Salukis ahead by eight points. From that time on, SLU never got within seven points of the Salukis.

Junior Randal Falker was one of the reasons the Salukis staved off SLU’s late pushes. The junior forward finished with a game-high 17 points.

Not only did Falker do damage on the offensive end, but he also helped limit Billiken big man Ian Vouyoukas

Vouyoukas scored just 10 points. A year ago, in the Salukis’ 56-42 loss at SLU, Vouyoukas finished with 17 points and 12 boards, both game-highs.

While Falker finished with an impressive 6-for-8 clip from the field, he didn’t take the credit. He, too, lauded the bench’s effort.

SLU didn’t even receive any points from its non-starters until the last two minutes of the game. Falker said his teammates realized they had to make some kind of impact to see any floor time.

The reserves’ efforts paid off — Clemmons, the most notable of the group, added six rebounds to his four-point total.

“We fight each other everyday in practice, so they have a choice now — you either have to get better or you get rolled over,” Falker said. “That’s college basketball, unfortunately.”