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Salukis scratch out SEMO win

Tatum, Owen lead sputtering Saluki offense to 29th straight home win

Amanda Whitlock ~ Daily Egyptian SIU junior forward LaMar Owen drives past a Southeast Missouri State defender in the first half of Wednesday night's game at SIU Arena. Owen scored nine of his 11 points in the first alf to lead SIU to a 29th straight home win.

A pair of newcomers helped pull the SIU men's basketball team out of its offensive doldrums in a 71-58 win over Southeast Missouri State Wednesday night at the SIU Arena, keeping the Salukis' record spotless.

Junior college transfer LaMar Owen led the Saluki charge in the first half, while lightning-quick freshman guard Jamaal Tatum rattled in a crucial 3-pointer from the left wing with less than two minutes to play in the game to extend his team's lead to 11 and hold off the pesky Indians (3-2).

Owen scored nine of his 11 points in the first half, and Tatum tallied 13 of his 16 in the second stanza while at the same time finding the range on his jump shot, something that has eluded him for the first few games of the young season.

"Jamaal Tatum saved us from an offensive standpoint," SIU head coach Matt Painter said. "If it wasn't for Jamaal Tatum, we would have grinded it out. It would have went down to the last possession."

Tatum shot 6-for-8 from the field including 4-of-5 from 3-point range. The rest of the Salukis went 0-for-12 from beyond the arc.

Thanks to its lack of offense, SIU (4-0) found itself in some tense situations in the second half, but its defense was able to stop the Indians when it counted.

A 7-0 SEMO run trimmed SIU's lead to six with just more than five minutes remaining, but senior center Sylvester Willis put back a Tatum miss to halt SEMO's momentum.

After he ended the game with a breakaway dunk, Willis finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds for the game.

"I think the player of the game is Sylvester Willis," Painter said. "He hasn't gotten a lot of credit in four or five years he's been here, but man, he just plays so hard and hustles."

The Saluki defense was ineffective early on. SIU defenders draped themselves on SEMO's players, who found their way to multiple open layups.

The Indians scored their first 12 points on shots within a few feet of the basket.

"It's tough in practice to simulate how they cut," Painter said. "Our guys just kind of got lost, a little lackadaisical."

But Owen helped change SIU's first-half fortunes when he checked in with just more than six minutes remaining and his team trailing by two.

After entering the game, Owen immediately scored on an acrobatic tip-in from the left side to tie the game.

The athletic 6-foot-5 junior then grabbed the rebound on a SEMO misfire. The ball ended up in the hands of Stetson Hairston, who was fouled driving to the bucket and hit two free throws.

Owen then scored on a driving layup over two SEMO defenders and was fouled. A short time later, he knocked in two free throws after being fouled trying for a putback.v During that three-minute span, Owen scored seven points and grabbed four rebounds to help spark a 16-2 run that gave SIU a 12-point edge late in the first half.

The Salukis tried numerous defenders on Dainmon Gonner, a 6-foot-6 forward who leads the Indians in numerous statistical categories, including scoring and rebounding; but most of those defenses were only mildly successful.

After he waived off his teammates and buried a long 2-pointer over Willis' outstretched arms with two seconds left in the half, Gonner accounted for 14 of his team's 25 first-half points, but the Indians still trailed by eight at the half.

Gonner finished with 24 points and six rebounds, while junior guard Derek Winans scored 12 of his 14 in the second half to help keep his team within striking distance.

With the win, SIU's 29th consecutive at SIU Arena, the Salukis tie Duke for the longest current home-court win streak.

The game was delayed about 45 minutes because two of the referees mistakenly went to SIU-Edwardsville and the other referee had car trouble.

Referees Tom Shields and Jamie Jones walked onto the arena floor about 7:30 to a mixture of cheers and boos. The game was played with two referees instead of the usual three for the entire first half.

"You gotta expect the unexpected," Painter said, "kind of like our foreign trip. You don't know if officials will show up, period."

The Salukis open Missouri Valley Conference play Saturday when they face Drake at 3 p.m. in Des Moines, Iowa. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Midwest and Fox Sports Chicago.