Jan. 15, 2008

By Tom Weber
www.SIUSalukis.com

Box Score -- Photo Gallery

EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Southern Illinois came out smoking against Evansville, scoring the first 15 points of the game and shooting 77 percent in the first half to coast to an 80-67 win Tuesday night.

The victory broke a five-game road losing streak for the Saluks (8-9, 3-3), who were the preseason favorites to win the Missouri Valley Conference.

The key to the victory was the dominant inside play of senior forward Randal Falker. He scored a game-high 16 points and dished out five assists against regular double-teaming.

"He dictated everything, and when he does that, we've got a chance," said Saluki head coach Chris Lowery.

SIU made nine of its first 11 shots. The pattern was to get Falker a touch on the block, and when he was double-teamed, quickly kick the ball out to an open shooter. The plan worked to perfection as Southern made five 3-pointers in the first four minutes of the contest and jumped out to a 22-2 lead.

"They're a tough-minded team," said Evansville head coach Marty Simmons. "You've got to meet that head on. You've got to be ultra, ultra competitive when you play them."

Saluki guard Bryan Mullins, who scored 14 points, said Falker did an excellent job of recognizing defenses.

"(Randal) did a really good job of deciding when he was double teamed and when he wasn't," said teammate Bryan Mullins. "When he wasn't, he got a basket almost every time. When he was, he might not have gotten the assist, but he got the pass that led to the assist, and we were able to find open spots on the floor."

The other four members of the Salukis' starting lineup -- Mullins, Wesley Clemmons, Joshua Bone and Matt Shaw -- were the biggest benefactors of Falker's inside play. The foursome combined to make 9-of-17 shots from outside the arc.

"You can't allow Falker to pivot in the post and look at the weak side and pass it wherever he wants," Simmons said. "We wanted them to shoot perimeter shots with pressure on them. They had too many open perimeter shots."

Falker, the preseason MVC Player-of-the-Year, has drawn double teams all season and handled the pressure with mixed results.

"When he's aggressive, we're going to get threes, and we're going to get long looks at threes, instead of rushed looks," Lowery said.

Mullins called Falker "the best big guy in the league."

The Purple Aces (5-11, 0-6) survived Southern's initial onslaught and rallied to cut the deficit to 45-32 at halftime. Seven first-half turnovers and 41 percent shooting were not good enough to beat SIU this night, however.

"I thought there were several times where we had missed inside shots, where we just didn't finish," Simmons said. "They challenge your shots. They don't give you easy baskets. They're aggressive."

The Salukis led by as many as 23 in the second half, and with the game in hand, Lowery subbed liberally.