The SIU men’s basketball team is probably looking forward to some home cooking.
And that doesn’t necessarily mean that turkey, stuffing and pie are involved.
The Salukis were dropped by Western Kentucky, 79-70, in the team’s first true road game of the season. The loss is Southern’s third consecutive loss. SIU and WKU battled in a game that saw a little bit of everything.
- Streaky shooting (Exemplified as SIU found itself down 17 before cutting the deficit to 5 before losing by 9)
- Turnovers
- Big leads (Did I mention WKU’s 17-point lead?)
- Big comebacks (Did I mention SIU cutting said lead to 5)
- And of course, surprise performances (Ryan Hare and Sergio Kerusch’s career-best performances)
Freshman guard Ryan Hare led the Southern offensive attack with a team-high and career-high 16-point performance off the bench. Sophomore forward Carlton Fay scored 12 points, but only three points in the second half. Guards Bryan Mullins (11 points) and Kevin Dillard (10 points) joined in with double-figure scoring efforts of their own.
Unfortunately for the SIU (2-3), it wasn’t enough to overcome the Hilltoppers.
WKU (2-2) was led by a career-best effort from guard Sergio Kerusch who scored 15 of his career-high 20 points in the first half. Kerusch was one of five Western players to score in double figures as the victors showed no signs of missing star guard Courtney Lee.
The Hilltoppers shot 48 percent from the field, and for the fourth straight game, SIU allowed its opponents to score more than 70 points. That’s not good, especially for a team known for its defense and ability to wear down its opponents.
The 9-point loss could have been worse, seeing that the Salukis were down by as many as 17 points in what could have easily turned into a blowout of Duke and UCLA proportions. SIU cut the deficit to 5 points with 5:02 left with a furious rally, but was unable to make one final push to tie or take a lead.
The Salukis return to the SIU Arena Tuesday as they host Saint Louis University. Maybe some home cooking (and facing the Billikens) is just what the team needs.
Until then, enjoy some turkey. It’ll make you feel better, I promise.
