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Media Credit: Jake Lockard Senior forward Randal Falker is double teamed by Illinois State defenders during Saturday's game at the SIU Arena. Falker was named to the All-MVC First Team and the MVC All-Defensive team.

The SIU basketball team could feel a different type of madness this March.

If SIU leaves St. Louis without a Missouri Valley Conference championship, it could be looking at the National Invitational Tournament as opposed to a seventh-consecutive trip the NCAA Tournament.

While the Salukis lost their final game in a rollercoaster season, they proved they could string together wins as they had five victories in a row prior to Saturday's loss to Illinois State.

The loss was due in part to the same three things that have dictated SIU's fate in previous games - 3-point shooting, free throws and the performance of the bench.

The Salukis were outscored by the Redbirds 20-9 from the free throw line while hitting only four 3-pointers and getting seven points from the bench.

Coach Chris Lowery has said all season that the team's success lies in the hustle plays and fundamentals.

"The things that you don't get credit in the paper for - blocking out, diving on the floor, taking charges. That's what we need to do," Lowery said.

The five-game winning streak was possible because of the Salukis' efficiency in those three areas. They will look to duplicate that streak when they take on the University of Northern Iowa Friday to open their attempt at an MVC Tournament run.

3-point shooting

SIU seems to find success when they dial-up from downtown. During the five-game winning streak, SIU managed to shoot 46.4 percent from behind the arc with the best game coming against Northern Iowa when the Salukis went 12-for-20.

Lowery said 3-point shooting also has a major affect on other aspects of the game. Sophomore Joshua Bone and senior Matt Shaw are the Salukis' 3-point specialists, but when they miss their first attempts they often underachieve the entire game, Lowery said.

Shaw proved Lowery's point Saturday when he missed his first shot and finished 2-for-11 from the field. When Shaw hit his first shot against Northern Iowa on Feb. 20, he went 8-for-9 from the field to lead SIU to a 67-47 win.

Lowery said Bone becomes a better overall player both offensively and defensively when sinking his first shot. A missed shot wont scare Bone away from the arc, however, as he has attempted 148 3-pointers compared to 91 2-pointers on the season.

Bench

As far as senior Tyrone Green is concerned, the players off the pine make all the difference.

"If they don't play well, we don't have a chance to win," Green said. "As the bench comes together, the team comes together."

Green was a big part of the bench during the middle stretch of the season but his defensive prowess earned him a starting spot while Bone was moved to the bench to supply offense. The move was successful as the bench averaged 17 points per game during the five-game win streak.

The bench failed to spark the team against Illinois State and only scored seven points. The bench did notch a 13-point performance against Northern Iowa the last time the two teams met and will look to duplicate that Friday.

Free throws

The charity stripe has been the Salukis' best friend and worst enemy. In the five-game winning streak they averaged 73.1 percent from the line, but they have also fallen short.

In the game against Butler, poor free throw shooting doomed SIU as it fell 57-55 in the final seconds to the Bulldogs. The worst performance from the line came against Northern Iowa in the teams' first meeting. The Salukis shot a respectable 13-for-18 from the line but let the Panthers loose as they went 29-for-40.

Lowery said after the game that there is no way to win when that many fouls are committed.

"We'd get so close, and then we'd do something to stop our momentum like make a bad foul or miss free throws," Lowery said.

Aside from the Illinois State game, the Salukis will look to continue their solid play from the 3-point line, free-throw line and the bench when they take on Northern Iowa 8:30 p.m. Friday in St. Louis.

Jeff Engelhardt can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 269 or jengel@siu.edu.

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