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Brooks, Hairston rebound from loss in big way

Just as much as the SIU men's basketball team needed some home cooking, it needed some senior leadership.

After an embarrassing 70-53 loss at Arkansas-Little Rock last Tuesday, head coach Chris Lowery implored Darren Brooks and Stetson Hairston to step up their games beginning Saturday against Murray State.

Combining for just 10 points on 5-of-19 shooting and eight turnovers in the forgettable loss to the Trojans, the two seniors no doubt played their worst game of the season Tuesday.

As Saturday's 80-71 victory over the Racers (3-3) indicates, Brooks and Hairston got the message loud and clear.

Brooks scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds, and Hairston chipped in with 18 points and six assists to help end the Salukis' (5-2) two-game losing skid.

"We've got a young team," Brooks said. "Some guys might be a little more immature than others, but we've got to just put them on our backs and carry them.

"One thing me and Stetson really talked about was just putting this team on our backs and just taking them as far as we need to go."

With the game on the line and a pesky Murray State squad refusing to quit, Hairston and Brooks did just that. Hairston scored 14 second-half points, and Brooks scored 17 of his game-high 27 in the second session.

In spite of two consecutive three-pointers and a lay in by Brooks that propelled the Salukis to a 49-37 lead with 13:41 to go in the second half, Murray State kept clawing. The Racers cut the lead to five with 7:48 remaining and then two with 3:16 left in the game.

But each time it was Brooks or his senior sidekick who came up with big plays to ignite a Saluki run, perhaps none bigger than Hairston's three-point dagger with 1:57 remaining to extend SIU's lead to 72-66.

Brooks penetrated through the lane and found Hairston in front of the Saluki bench for the wide open three. When the ball sank through the hoop, the Arena crowd erupted to a season-high decibel level.

"I really don't even worry about it, I've been in that situation before," Hairston said. "I've knocked down shots at the end of games since my freshman year, sophomore year, junior year."

A Tony Young steal directly after the shot sent the crowd into even more of a frenzy, and later Hairston calmly sank two free throws to put the Racers away for good.

Brooks and Hairston combined for 31 of SIU's 47 second-half points on an impressive 8-of-10 shooting.

"Our older guys stepped up and made plays like they normally do - we had great leadership tonight," Lowery said. "Darren and Stetson both. They had a hand in everything that decided the game."

Brooks suffered from a cold virus in North Little Rock, perhaps contributing to his lackluster performance. But Saturday Brooks was back to his old self, grabbing rebounds, loose balls and scoring many "garbage" and "hustle" points as he usually does.

Murray State head coach Mick Cronin Came away impressed.

"That's vintage Darren Brooks. He doesn't get tired. He plays every play," Cronin said. "If you go to the glass every play, and you look to go for every loose ball, you're going to get more than the guy who only goes once in a while.

"Darren Brooks is what I call a trained killer. He's trained by great coaches in this program. That's a credit to his character that he's developed into that kind of player. He goes hard every play, and that's what championship teams do."

Despite phlegm buildup and momentary coughing, Brooks said he was feeling fine following Saturday's victory. He said he would continue to take medicine to be ready for Tuesday's home date with Wright State.

Despite the lingering cold, consider Saturday's game a mission accomplished for Brooks, who said he had a lot to prove.

"I just wanted to come back and make a statement to my teammates and let them know that I'm sorry for what happened," Brooks said about Tuesday's loss. "I take some responsibility for the way we played and the way I played. I just wanted to come out and have a good game."