SIUC senior Shane Hawkins only needed two shots to bury Southwest Missouri State’s hopes for revenge Monday night.

The Pinckneyville native stepped to the free throw line with 17 seconds left knowing just how close he and his teammates were to a season-sweep of the Bears.

SMSU had rallied from a 70-59 deficit with 9:10 left in the half to make it 75-74 with 26 seconds remaining on a rebound basket by junior forward Ken Stringer. But Hawkins stepped up to the free throw line and nailed two of his team-high 17 points to give SIUC a 77-74 lead.

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The Bears had one final chance for a win, but guard Kevin Ault’s three-point try bounced off the back of the rim into the open arms of junior Monte Jenkins. Jenkins then nailed two free throws to seal a 79-74 win in Springfield, Mo.

We’ve got good people who can shoot free throws, and we had the right guys at the line, Saluki coach Rich Herrin said in his postgame radio show. Of course, this may be our best game of shooting free throws. We shot over 80 percent, and that is pretty good.

With the win, the Salukis snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 10-11 overall and 5-6 in the Missouri Valley Conference. SMSU fell to 9-13 overall and 6-5 in conference play.

After a solid first half by both teams, SIUC took an 11-point lead, only to watch the Bears rally on Stringer’s bucket. But Hawkins stepped up to make two of six straight free throws by the Salukis down the stretch for the win.

The free throw line turned out to be deadly for SMSU. The Bears made just one of six free throws in the half, while SIUC knocked down 19 of 25 for the game.

The Salukis opened strong in the second half by taking a 50-46 lead, but the Bears continued to enjoy the antagonist’s role. A turnaround jumper by Watts gave the Salukis a 62-53 margin, forcing SMSU coach Steve Alford to call a 20-second timeout.

The Salukis then turned to Hawkins, who hit two three-pointers with a defender in his face to give SIUC a 70-59 lead with 9:10 left.

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Both teams were on top of their offensive games in the first half. SMSU traded baskets for much of the half with the Salukis, led by 21 points in the half from senior forward Rashad Tucker and sophomore forward Chris Thunell. The Salukis finished the half strong on the shoulders of junior center James Watts.

Watts nailed a turnaround jump hook to give the Salukis a 42-41 lead with one minute left. Watts hit an 18-footer to beat the buzzer and give the Salukis a 44-41 cushion at halftime.

I knew it would be tough because we’re not that much better, Herrin said. But everything we did was right. We hung tough, and this is a good win for us.

SIUC continues a three-game road trip in Omaha, Neb., Thursday at 7:05 p.m. against Creighton University.