There is an old saying about the bad following the good, or vice versa, and the saying proves to be true for the men’s basketball team this season.

A poor first half shooting performance contributed to the Salukis’ 11th loss of the season, and dropped the team’s overall record below the .500 mark; but the game also previewed things to come with the talents of a young Saluki squad.

The 77-65 loss to Southwest Missouri State University Saturday dropped the men’s basketball team’s record to 10-11 overall, and 3-7 in the Missouri Valley Conference. The loss is SIUC’s fifth out of the team’s last six games, and hopes for a tournament birth are diminishing with every defeat.

Advertisement

The game started out on a good foot for the Dawgs, but quickly went downhill in the first half. The Salukis scored only two points in the final 11 minutes before the intermission, and went into the locker room down by nine points, 31-22.

The sparse scoring in the first half contributed to a 30 percent shooting performance from the floor, and only a 17 percent contribution from behind the three-point arc.

Saluki coach Rich Herrin said the team executed set plays well, but the scoring drought in the first half cost SIUC the game.

In the first half, we got good looks (at the basket), and good shots, they just didn’t go down, he said. If we had hit those, it would have been a different game. We had some good patterns and the kids executed well, but we just didn’t finish.

While the Salukis were struggling to score in the first half, the Bears shot 50 percent from the floor and 33 percent from behind the three-point line.

In the second half, SIUC put together a 43-percent shooting performance from the floor, and came within four points of the Bears, but could not capitalize on a missed shot by senior forward Jaratio Tucker.

Tucker, who shot 8-12 from the field and scored 16 points, has been nursing a sore left knee and shin, but still was able to give the Salukis a strong performance in his 32 minutes of play.

Advertisement*

We got back 56-52, and Tucker couldn’t get it down, Herrin said. You can’t ask anymore of Jaratio who can hardly walk.

Even with sophomore guards Troy Hudson’s and Shane Hawkins’ 19 and 12 points, respectively, the Dawgs’ persistent nemesis this season, free-throws, could be blamed again for the loss, as SIUC was outscored 23-6 from the bonus line.

Minus the bonus shots, SIUC outscored the Bears by two field goals in the game, 26-24, and Herrin said SMSU deserved the victory for its 77 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

We outscored them by two buckets, but you’ve got to give Southwest credit for hitting their free-throws down the stretch, he said.

If anything good came out of the game, it was the continuing emergence of freshmen forwards Monte Jenkins, James Jackson and James Watts as bona fide players in the MVC.

Jenkins was limited to four points in his 14 minutes of playing time, but made his presence known on a slam-dunk, alley-oop from Hudson.

Jackson and Watts both continued their improvement, and are giving the Salukis added strength on the glass.

Watts pulled down a team-high seven rebounds before fouling out of the game with 4:16 left, and scored a frustrating three points in his 23 minutes of action.

Jackson grabbed a team-second-best six boards, and scored four points in his 17 minutes on the floor.

Herrin was pleased with the progress his freshmen have made, and said that is what has to happen for the team to qualify for the MVC tournament.

Watts and Jackson gave us some bright-light as far as rebounders, and that’s what you have to have, he said.