CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The play, by any other name, still felt so sweet.
A.J. Graves, Butler's leading scorer, broke free just enough to launch a running 25-footer from the left wing just ahead of the buzzer.
And when his shot bounced off glass and through the net, the No. 16 Bulldogs escaped with a 57-55 win over Southern Illinois on Friday night.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- A.J. Graves, who's been quiet most of the game, drained a 25-foot jumper just ahead of the buzzer and Butler pulled out a 57-55 win over Southern Illinois.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Mike Green has seemed to have lost his stroke from the line, missing two free throws with just over a minute and a half left. On Southern Illinois' next foray, Randal Falker fed Wesley Clemons for a wide-open three. Butler called timeout with 37 seconds left in the game, 14 on their shot clock.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- After the referees reversed an on-ball call, giving possession to Southern Illinois, Josh Bone drained a three from the wing, and suddenly, SIU Arena has come back to life.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Pete Campbell, from deep in the corner, knocked down a trey for Butler, but Randal Falker answered back with a jam for Southern Illinois. Mike Green has returned to the line to hit both free throws, and Butler now holds a three-point lead.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Butler just put a flurry of shots on net, only to be turned away by the noted tandem of Falker and iron. It's 47-47 with 3:30 to play.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- With Mike Green tying the game with a couple of more free throws, Southern Illinois got Falker and Mullins --four fouls each -- back into the game with 4:46 to play.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- With Randal Falker already on the bench with his fourth foul, SIU's Mullins just got called for a block. Mike Green hit both of his free throws, and with two key Salukis on the bench, Butler is back within one.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- A.J. Graves may not be scoring for Butler, but he's working hard. He just drove all around the Southern Illinois defense, setting up Campbell for a wide-open look at the top of the key. Unfortunately, Campbell's shot went klunk.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Randal Falker is back. He got away with climbing over a Bulldogs' back for a rebound and got one of two free throws to fall. The next time down, he missed a short baby-hook. Southern Illinois' Shaw still can't hit from the outside, and with another timeout, it's Southern Illinois 45, Butler 42.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Every foul call in Butler's favor is resulting in a rain of derision upon the referees. Mullins bumped Howard down low and picked up his third foul. Howard hit one of two, and Southern Illinois is still on top by a deuce.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- A Butler timeout, about 10 seconds of play and a Southern Illinois foul, and we've got ourselves an official timeout. Got to love the fast-paced sport of basketball...
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Josh Bone just drained another trey, this one putting SIU up, 44-39, and prompting a Butler timeout with 11:17 to go in the second half.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Carlton Fay wrestles down Matt Howard and is astonished to have picked up his fourth foul. He's headed back to the bench now, too.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Green got through the Southern Ilinois defense to set up Avery Jukes, but he couldn't convert on the resulting free throws. The foul, however, sends Randal Falker back to SIU's bench with his three.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Another "stirring" timeout contest has the home crowd at a loud murmur.Yawn.
Game still tied with 15:24 to play.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- A.J. Graves found his way into the lane, only to miss an eight-foot fade. But the ball came right back to him, and he nailed a 10-footer.
Both teams are trading points in a 37-37 tie.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- It's a rock fight in the early going of the second half. Southern Illinois' Randal Falker just hit the side of the backboard on a jumper and Butler's Matt Howard missed a layup at the end of a fast-break.
SIU's Mullins finally figured out the rim for an old-fashioned three-point play, and after a Butler miss, Bone knocked down a three. SIU is back in front, and the crowd is back in the game.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The Southern Illinois bench, a source of sorrow so far this season, is outscoring Butler's reserves, 8-6. Only Pete Campbell has come off the pine to score for the Bulldogs with two treys. SIU got six from former starter Tony Boyle and two from Carlton Faye.
Faye's line: Two points, three fouls and a rebound and two turnovers in four minutes. A so-so call by the refs on an offensive foul, however, has won him the pity of the home crowd.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- While new SIU football coach Dale Lennon plays to the crowd at the half, the stat sheets are being passed around.
Mike Green, with 10 points, and Matt Howard, with eight, lead Butler in scoring, while top gun A.J. Graves is just 1-for-6 from the floor with five points. Butler leads, 31-29.
Bone paces SIU with 10, most coming with key starters Falker and Mullins on the pine. Falker did have nine points and three boards in his 10 minutes.
Things bode well for the Bulldogs, who have scored 40-plus points in the second half of their last three games. That would put them in the 70s, and they have won 14 straight when they score 75 points or more.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Southern Illinois' heralded freshman Carlton Fay was nailed for two fouls on one possession, and the next time down the floor, was called for an offensive foul. The last one has the crowd howling at the refs.
Looks like it's going to be a short night for Fay.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- At the last media timeout, Butler's leading scorer A.J. Graves has tallied just two points, and the Bulldogs are still only two points down. Mike Green has 10 at this point to pick up the slack.
CARBONDALE, Ill -- Mike Green tried to drive against Bone, but once he's gotten a lane to the hole, he's been cut off by Southern Illinois' Tony Boyle. Boyle caught Green and the ball in the same motion, which just resulted in a held-ball situation.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Forget foul trouble. Southern Illinois' Josh Bone just drained two treys to tie the game. After a Butler miss, Wesley Clemons has added a deuce and the crowd is now rocking.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Both forward Randall Falker and point guard Bryan Mullins have picked up their second personal fouls of the half, sending both to the bench. For a thin roster, that could mean trouble for Southern Illinois the rest of the half.
Meanwhile, the resulting free throws from Mike Green pushes Butler's edge to 21-15.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Apparently, me and my computer are missing a hell of a game. My dang screen is taking up all my attention after losing my internet connection.
Meanwhile, back on the court, Butler leads Southern Illinois, 19-15, with a break in the action at 7:52 in the first half.
CARBONDALE, Ill -- Mike Green has just given Butler its first lead with a three-pointer out of the first media timeout. After trading hoops, the Bulldogs lead, 10-7.
CARBONDALE. Ill. -- Southern Illinois' Randall Falker has drawn two fouls on one possession as the Salukis look to get him involved early. Still, at four minutes into the game, Falker has two points with the score tied at five.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- As is the tradition at SIU Arena, the crowd is on its feet and stomping, and will continue to stand until the opposing team scores its first points.
A near steal by Southern Illinois brings a groan and a renewal of the stomping. Butler ends its first posseission with a turnover. The seats are still unsat upon.
Josh Bone nails a 3-ball for SIU a little over a minute into the game.
A foul on SIU's Wesley Clemons sends Butler's Mike Green to the line. His first free throw puts the butts in the seats, but he misses the second.
CARBONDALE,Ill. -- If Butler can run out of Carbondale with a win, it will be only the fifth team to do so in 87 games.
The last? Indiana, just 27 days ago. Like Indiana, Butler is ranked in the top 20 in both polls.
The Salukis did lose two home games in 200506 season, to Louisiana Tech and Indiana State.
CARBONDALE, Ill.-- The crowd is still filing in as Miss Illinois gives a decent rendition of the National Anthem. Despite the fact that students are on Christmas break, the game sold out well before the gates opened. It should be the biggest crowd since Indiana rolled into town on Dec. 1.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Southern Illinois is looking for a bench to lean on instead of sit on.
The Salukis leaned heavily its starting lineup while experimenting with substitution combos. Wesley Clemons responded to his first start Dec. 22 against Western Kentucky with a career-high 24 points. That allowed Saluki coach Chris Lowery more scoring punch, and to bring Tony Boyle off the bench.
Other reserves are still fighting to find minutes. Only Brandon Wood and Tyrone Green, a part-time starter, are getting double-figure minutes.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Butler is making its first appearance at SIU Arena and faces the Salukis for only the third time ever.
The Bulldogs, ranked 16th by the AP poll and 17th by ESPN/Coaches, are looking to avenge a 68-64 loss last season in a BracketBuster contest at Hinkle Field House.
Butler is getting it done with balance, as four players have scored in double figures in their last three games. A.J Graves leads the way with 16.8 per game (Mike Green comes in at 14.7, Pete Campbell at 11.7 and Matt Howard at 11.5).
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- It's already been a busy day for Southern Illinois sports information director Tom Weber.
The Salukis named Dale Lennon as its new football coach in the afternoon. Lennon, formerly of the U of North Dakota, replaces Jerry Kill, who moved to Northern Illinois University earlier this month.
Lennon is being brought in to keep the Salukis among the national elite. Kill resurrected a stagnant program in his seven seasons, taking the Salukis to the FCS semifinals this season.
Lennon was 90-14 in nine years at UND, including five conference championships, seven playoff appearances and one Div. II championship.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Southern Illinois coach Chris Lowery always knew Bryan Mullins could score.
Now, a lot of other people know it too.
The junior guard scored a career-high 24 points, including 11 of the Salukis' last 13, as SIU ended a three-game losing streak with a 71-56 win over previously unbeaten Saint Mary's on Tuesday.
"We've always had guards that do stuff like that when we needed it," said Lowery. "I've told him this past three weeks that this was his team."
Mullins stepped into the spotlight after Saint Mary's had massaged away most of had been a 19-point second-half lead. Up 53-34 with 13:17 remaining, the Salukis started missing shots from close range. Conversely, the Gaels started pushing the ball up court. Two free throws by Todd Golden with 5:51 left got Saint Mary's within 55-52.
"We did some things right to get us back in the game," said Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett. "We just didn't do enough things to win the game.
"Give them credit. We knew they were going to be good. We didn't walk into this ball game thinking this was a bad team."
The Salukis had dropped contests to USC, Indiana and Charlotte and were struggling for an identity. Graduation left some big holes to fill in the scoring. Mullins filled one of them Tuesday.
"We opened up the floor more and I was able to hit a couple of shots," he said. "We came out with a lot of energy tonight."
Tyrone Green held off Saint Mary's until Mullins got untracked. His three free throws pushed SIU's lead back to 58-52. Omar Samhan's jumper got the Gaels back within four, but Mullins scored the next nine points of the game.
"With the work ethic he has, you know it's going to pay off sooner or later," Shaw said of Mullins.
Shaw's previous career best had been 16 points. Tuesday, he nearly had that in the final four minutes. And he added five assists to his line as well.
SIU's Randall Falker scored all eight of his points in the first half, but he had eight rebounds in the second and 12 for the game. Shaw finished with 13 points and nine boards as SIU out-rebounded the Gaels, 39-24.
"I think it's a credit to this team that we came out and played with the energy we did and the enthusiasm we did after losing three straight," Shaw said.
Saint Mary's (7-1) got 11 points from Patrick Mills, 10 from Diamon Simpson and eight from Samhan, some 15 below their combined average for the season.
The loss probably knocks the Gaels, ranked 24th in both the AP and USA Today/ESPN Coaches' poll, out of the Top 25.
"It's December," said Bennett. "If we're a good team, we'll get back in there."
Yes, it's only December, but a team looking for answers like SIU, there was no time like the present.
"I told them it's winning time," Lowery said of his charges. "We're not going backwards."
Mullins seemed to listen most of all.
"He was special," Lowery said. "He wanted to win."
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The Salukis' Bryan Mullins took over down the stretch, scoring seven straight points after Saint Mary's cut an 18-point lead to four, and Southern Illinois held on to break a three-game losing streak, 71-56.
The loss was the first of the year for the Gaels, while Southern Illinois improved to 4-3.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- A big cushion for Southern Illinois is wafer-thin.
Saint Mary's poured on six straight free throws, four from Patrick Mills and two from Todd Golden, and cut SIU's 18-point lead down to just three with just under six minutes to go.
The Salukis are attacking the paint, but missing from close range. A free throw and a Saint Mary's turnover has stemmed the tide. The Gaels' Diamon Simpson fouled out with 4:48 to go, and SIU's Tyrone Green hit the subsequent throws to put SIU back up, 58-52.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- With Saint Mary's protecting the post, Southern Illinois found room on the perimeter.
The Salukis got back-to-back three-pointers from Bryan Mullins and Matt Shaw, and one of three free throws from Shaw when he was fouled on a trey to open a 50-32 lead just six minutes into the second half.
But SIU started settling for the jumpers and Saint Mary's took rebounds up court for transition opportunities. Diamon Simpson's two free throws when fouled on a fast-break got the Gaels back within 14 at 53-39 with 12 minutes to play.
An SIU turnvoer and a Patrick Mills three-pointer pulled Saint Mary's withing 11 and swung the momentum, with the Salukis earlier in the half, back to the Gaels.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Call off the ABP on Randall Fallker.
Falker, held scoreless in Southern Illinois' weekend loss to UNC-Charlotte, resurfaced on the Salukis' home court Tuesday against the Gaels.
Falker, the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Player of the Year, finished the first half with eight points, four rebounds and a blocked shot in 14 minutes of play as SIU posted a 36-24 halftime lead. Along the way, Falker drew three fouls on Saint Mary's big man, Omar Samhan, who played just eight minutes in the first half.
Also in foul trouble for Saint Mary's was starting guard Patrick Mills, the Gaels' leading scorer. He picked up his third foul late in the half and had just four points at the break.
Both teams worked the ball into the paint instead of settling for jumpers, as Saint Mary's shot 47.4 percent for the half but was plagued by 12 turnovers. SIU shot 46.4 percent with nine turnovers.
Matt Shaw and Joshua Bone added seven points each for SIU. Mills and Samhan led the Gaels in scoring with four each.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Neither Saint Mary's or Southern Illinois can get much separation on scoreboard or on the court. Tight defense at both ends are forcing extended possessions.
The Salukis' Tyrone Green took a steal coast-to-coast for a jam that brought the crowd to life and prompted a Gael timeout. Another Saint Mary's turnover after play resumed resulted in a Joshua Bone teardrop down the lane to give SIU its biggest lead of the first nine minutes at 18-12.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Saint Mary's and Southern Illinois are firing shots from close range early in the contest, with the Salukis hanging onto a 9-8 lead.
Both teams are getting the ball into the paint when they're getting shots. Less than five minutes into the game, Saint Mary's has three turnovers and SIU has a pair.
Gael center Omar Samhan was just saddled with two fouls and is headed for the bench.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Earlier in the day, some 1,000 students were scattered about SIU Arena, taking a final exam.
Later Tuesday night, the Salukis of Southern Illinois were hoping to have just one answer -- how to end the first three-game losing streak in Chris Lowery's three-plus years as head coach.
Not that the Salukis have been terrible of the past three games, losing to USC and UNC-Charlotte on the road and at home to Indiana.
Meanwhile, the Gaels of Saint Mary's look to keep their record spotless. This is the Gaels' first road game of the season, although they have posted a win on a neutral court. The other six have come at home.
For SIU, it seems a different ingredient has been missing in each of the three losses. Against USC, the defense didn't show up. Against Indiana, the offense couldn't find the hole.
And against Charlotte, the Salukis' all-everything, Randall Falker, was held scoreless for the first time since his freshman season.
The teams have met five previous times, with SIU holding a 4-1 edge. The Salukis won, 66-61, at Moraga, Calif., last year.
