The crowd cheered, standing ovations were common sight, and an electric feeling swept SIU Arena for the first time this season as the Salukis gave every once of energy in a heartbreaking 84-75 loss in overtime to the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes.

Last season’s two regular season match-ups between the two teams was decided by a total of three points, and SIUC claimed a victory in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament over Tulsa 77-62.

In the second game of the series last season in Carbondale, then freshman, and now sophomore, guard Shane Hawkins went the length of the floor to give the Salukis a last second victory, but Hawkins would not have the opportunity for last second heroics this time around as SIUC saw their chances for a regulation period victory bounce off the foot of sophomore guard Troy Hudson’s foot in a last second surge with 1.8 seconds remaining before the game went into overtime.

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Rebounding was the difference in the game down the stretch as Tulsa dominated the glass 56-38, but a 40 percent shooting effort by the Salukis from behind the three-point arc kept the entire crowd on the edge of its seats and the men’s basketball team in the game.

SIUC shot a blistering 46 percent from behind the stripe in the first half, and Hawkins kept the Dawgs rolling after the intermission with a 5-7 shooting performance from the three-point line in the second half as he contributed 15 of his 20 points after the break.

The outstanding effort was not enough, though, as the Salukis dropped their ninth-place record to 4-10 in the MVC, and Tulsa improved its third-place mark to 9-4.

Tulsa coach Steve Robinson said the game was an exciting college basketball game, and said it seemed as if SIUC connected on every three-point attempt it took.

My neck hurts from watching all those three-pointers they were shooting up at the basket, and it felt like every one of them was going in, he said. We couldn’t stop them. I told our kids that if they shot it a hundred times, just get a hand up on the shot, and we’ll just keep going and maybe they’ll miss some of them. I felt that they missed a couple (three-pointers) late in the game and we got a hand in their face, and maybe that was the difference.

SIUC coach Rich Herrin said going into the game that rebounding was the key to victory, and afterwards said it was indeed the difference in the ball game.

We had a good effort I think. They just beat us on the boards, Herrin said. To a certain degree they’re playing three guards, but (DeWayne) Bonner is 6-5 and he had eight boards. They beat us 56-38 on the boards, and they beat us late in the game. We’d stop em, but they’d get the rebound and get running again.

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Herrin said the Tulsa transition game killed his squad in the overtime period, and Tulsa’s second basket in the extra period on the break was the difference as the Salukis were outscored 14-5 in overtime.

At the end of regulation, the scored was tied at 70, and SIUC hung with the Golden Hurricanes until Tulsa’s Michael Ruffin scored all four of his points from the free-throw line within two minutes to put Tulsa ahead.

Hudson, who scored 17 points in the game, said this game was a good example of the team’s character, and the Saluki would not toss in the towel in their attempt to reach eighth-place in the MVC and qualify for the MVC Tournament in St. Louis March 2-4.

I think we played hard, and we’re not letting down. We’re just staying after it, trying to get every win day-by-day, he said.