NCAA Tournament: Salukis Headed to Sweet 16; Earn School Record 29th Win

They advance to meet Kansas in a regional semifinal on Thursday night in San Jose, Calif.

Salem-News.com SPORTS

COLUMBUS, Ohio - By: The Assoicated Press

Courtesy: Southern Illinois Athletics

The team that no one wants to play is still playing - thanks to its suffocating defense.

Southern Illinois got three big 3-pointers from Jamaal Tatum and pulled away from Virginia Tech 63-48 Sunday in a West Regional second-round game.

Tatum, the Missouri Valley Conference player of the year, scored 21 points. The Salukis have won 15 of 16, and set a school record for victories in a season.

They advance to meet the Kansas-Kentucky winner in a regional semifinal on Thursday night in San Jose, Calif.

Rest assured that neither team wants to face a team so dedicated to floor burns and gritty defense.

Tony Young added 17, Bryan Mullins 11 and Randall Falker 10 for Southern Illinois (29-6), which surpassed its victory total from the 2000-01 team that also made it to the round of 16.

Jamon Gordon had 16 points and Deron Washington added 15 for fifth-seeded Virginia Tech (22-12), which hadn't been held to fewer than 54 points all year. Zabian Dowdell, a first-team All-ACC choice who came in averaging 18 a game, had just seven.

Tatum had hit the decisive 3 to break a late tie when the teams met back in November at a tournament in Florida, a game the Salukis won 69-64. Virginia Tech piled up a season-high 19 turnovers in that game.

They did better holding onto the ball this time around, but never were able to solve the Salukis' pressure defense.

SIU's fans chanted "De-fense! De-fense!" and the Salukis - third in the nation allowing 56.3 points a game - responded during a 16-2 run bridging the halves.

Forget flashy dunks or no-look passes, the spurt was built on man-to-man defense and a couple of timely shots. The crowd cheered louder after defensive stands than after a bucket.

Ahead 22-20, the Salukis stretched their lead when Tatum - who later banked in a 3 from the top of the key and also hit a free throw on a bank shot - made two shots behind the arc to close the half for a 28-20 lead.

It was the fewest points Virginia Tech scored in a half this season.

An eight-point Southern Illinois lead seems like twice that much. The Salukis then opened the second half with Tatum hitting another 3 to push the lead to 31-20.

For much of the rest of the game, SIU was content to spread the floor, melt away time and put up a shot with a few seconds left on the shot clock - like a game of keepaway with scholarships.

Not that the Salukis are completely without of offensive playmakers.

After the Hokies cut the lead to seven points early in the second half, lefty guard Bryan Mullins popped in a 3-pointer and then scored on a pretty spin move, looping his bank shot high over the outstretched arm of Washington for the bucket and a 38-28 lead.

Young's third 3 gave the Salukis a 44-31 edge at the midpoint of the second half.

Against such an aggressive defense, and an offense intent on keeping the score down, the Hokies had no chance.

The biggest cheer of the second half from SIU fans came when Tatum put up a shot with a second left on the shot clock - and then got his own rebound.

Young nailed a 3-pointer at the 5-minute mark after the Hokies had cut the gap to 50-40.

Tony Boyle started in place of the Salukis' third-leading scorer, Matt Shaw, who sprained an ankle at halftime of their 71-61 first-round win over Holy Cross.

At one point in the second half, Washington went for a steal and slid under a court-side table. Two Salukis rushed to help him up, out of respect for his own effort on defense.

How fitting - the Salukis even appreciate the other team's defense.

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