Even though the Salukis are ranked seventh in the nation in three-pointers made per game (8.8), the men’s basketball team could not overcome a 50 percent shooting spree by Drake University from behind the arc Saturday at SIU Arena.

The Bulldogs shot a blistering 64 percent from behind the three-point line in the first half, and 48 percent from the floor in the game, to outpace a motivated Saluki squad that pulled ahead 67-65 with 1:10 left in the game on a clutch three-pointer by sophomore guard Troy Hudson, who had 25 points in the contest, but fell short 71-68.

In essence, the loss to Drake eliminated the Dawgs’ hopes for a seed in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament March 2-4 in St. Louis.

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In order for the Salukis, currently in ninth-place (11-15, 4-11), to grab the eighth-place position in the conference, and qualify for the tournament, the Dawgs must win their final three games, and now eighth-place Northern Iowa must lose all four of its remaining games.

SIUC coach Rich Herrin took the never say die approach to questions about the loss’ affect on the season after the game, and said the season must be played one game at a time.

You can’t get me to talk about that (the near elimination form the tournament). We just try to play each game, and that’s the way you do it, he said. You don’t put yourself in a position, and you do the best that you can. Before we even played a game this year, I told everyone it would be tough to get to St. Louis, and we’ve tried, and tried, and will continue to try. We’ll just do the best that we can. We’ve got three games left, and that’s about all we can do.

SIUC ended the game in much the same way it started it. The Salukis did not score in the first half until 4:30 had run off the clock, and missed its first five shots before freshman forward Monte Jenkins came off the bench to hit a wide-open three-pointer.

To end the game, SIUC missed nine of its last 12 shots two of them potential three-pointers by Hudson and senior forward Scott Burzynski that would have tied the game at 71.

We had some good looks, but we just couldn’t put the basket in the hole and that’s going to happen, sophomore guard Shane Hawkins said. The thing was that we were working, and we got pretty good shots for the most part, so you can’t complain about that.

What was missing for the Salukis against Drake was the same thing that has been missing all season, a go-to guy that can deliver in the clutch. SIUC shot 45 percent in the game from the floor, and 40 percent has been the magic number for a Saluki victory this season.

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Usually, when a team outrebounds its opponents and shoots over 40 percent in the game, a victory is well in hand, but the loss defied the laws of victory. The 45 percent effort was SIUC’s sixth-best of the year, and the Dawgs outrebounded Drake 37-36 behind a game-high eight boards by senior center Aminu Timberlake.

Herrin said rebounding was the difference in the game, and Drake’s late-game dominance of the glass put the Dawgs to sleep.

They had nine offensive boards, and we get three between our big guys. All four of our big guys played, and we had two offensive rebounds in the first half and they got nine offensive boards. Right there is the ball game, Herrin said. That’s what Tulsa did to us (Feb. 14). The last 18 boards, they got 16 of them, we get two, and we’re lucky to even be that close.

Hawkins, who had 12 assists and nine points in the game, said the momentum swung mid-way through the second half, but the cheering crowd of 4,328 kept the Salukis in the game.

(The momentum swing was) probably in the second half when we got a couple buckets and cut it to one (64-65 with 1:48 left), or whatever it was, and once you get the fans into it, which was one of the biggest crowds of the year, we felt a little more comfortable, he said.

Drake coach Rudy Washington said he was happy the end result was a Bulldog victory because of SIUC’s last second 73-71 victory in 1994.

I remember Paul Lusk hitting one in the corner on me and won the game. I’ve seen it happen too many times at Southern, he said.