It was not very pretty, but the Salukis will take it.

In a game that resembled the Dawgs first two contests, SIUC was able to pull out a 66-64 victory over the Owls of Florida Atlantic at SIU Arena Sunday afternoon.

Although the Dawgs (3-0) shot just 44 percent in the contest, the Saluki defense held the Owls (1-3) to just 38 percent from the floor.

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As in the opening contests of the Salukis’ young season, one player stepped up big to pace SIUC. Against Northern Illinois and Old Dominion, it was Jaratio Tucker. In this game, it was Shane Hawkins.

Shane Hawkins went 7-of-9 from behind the three-point line in a performance reminiscent of his 7-for-8 shooting clinic he put on in the Salukis’ 96-92 loss to Syracuse in last season’s NCAA Tournament.

Florida Atlantic basketball coach Kevin Billerman said he was impressed by Hawkins and his hot shooting.

He’s a good shooter, he said. There was one shot when he ball-faked, the guy jumped by him and he still had to rise up with the guy jumping back at him that’s a heck of a shot.

Hawkins was the only Saluki to finish in double-digits, finishing with 24 points. The closest Dawg to Hawkins was Scott Burzynski, who scored eight points on 3-of-11 shooting from the floor.

After the Owls went up 3-0 on a basket by Florida Atlantic’s Rob Ritter, the Dawgs came roaring back, going on a 17-7 run over the next six minutes to take a 17-10 lead.

Over the next six minutes the Salukis slowly began to pull away, going up 29-16 on Hawkins’ fifth three-point basket with 8:44 to go in the first half.

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FAU never gave up and went on a 20-8 run of its own to close the gap to 37-36 at the half.

Both squads came out playing tough defense in the second half, as the Salukis were able to hold the Owls, but FAU did a noble job on defense, allowing SIUC to run its lead only to seven points with 15:28 remaining in the contest.

FAU would never say die, however and put together another run, this time a 15-4 run, to take a 53-49 lead with 9:21 to go.

The lead see-sawed back and forth for the next eight minutes, as the Salukis took the lead, 64-62 after Burzynski hit two consecutive three-point baskets.

As time was running down, and the Dawgs were trying to kill time off the clock to preserve the victory, center Aminu Timberlake was fouled going to the hoop.

Timberlake hit both free-throws with 48 seconds left in regulation, but the game was far from over.

After the free throws, Owls’ guard Phillip Huyler hit a lay up to bring FAU within a basket, 66-64. Saluki forward Jaratio Tucker was quickly fouled and missed the first on the front end of his one and one from the free-throw line.

The Owls missed a shot with 10.7 seconds left on the clock and 5-foot-9 inch Saluki guard DaShonn Ford came down with the rebound near the baseline.

As he was falling out of bounds, Ford attempted to call a time out, but the referee did not allow it, therefore turning the ball over to the Owls with 1.7 seconds left and the ball under their own basket.

On the inbound play, the Owls threw a lob pass to guard Craig Buchanan, but his four foot attempt bounced off the rim and out of bounds as the horn sounded.

The Owls were led on the day by guard Craig Buchanan (16 points), forward Phillip Huyler (15 points) and guard Michael Harvey (11 points).

Saluki head coach Rich Herrin said he was pleased with the game his squad played and the fact the Salukis are 3-0.

Anytime I can get a victory with these young men, and I’m not saying this negatively, we have to be happy with that, he said.

The victory not only keeps the Salukis perfect on the season, but it is also Rich Herrin’s 100th home victory in his career as head coach of the Dawgs.

Next on the slate for SIUC is Southeast Missouri State, Thursday at the Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

After the SEMO contest, the Salukis travel to St. Louis University Saturday and then return home for two games to host North Carolina-Charlotte and Austin Peay State Dec. 18 and 20. Both home contests are scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

The Dawgs then travel to Hawaii to take part in the Hawaii-Hilo Holiday Shootout for three games, Dec. 28-30. After a short break, the Salukis open their MVC schedule, taking on Illinois State, Jan. 6 and Northern Iowa, Jan. 8.

On Jan. 11, the Dawgs take on Utah State in Utah, in a nationally televised game on ESPN. Tip-off is 11:05 p.m. central time.

The Salukis finish their holiday break at MVC pre-season favorite Bradley in Peoria Jan. 15.