Box Score UNO-SIU Box Score
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois erased a 13-point first half deficit and held off a last-minute threat to defeat New Orleans 74-61 on Monday night at SIU Arena.
Dantiel Daniels scored 20 points as SIU (6-2) improved to 3-0 at home this season. Three other players reached double-figures for the Salukis, including Anthony Beane, who netted 17 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
SIU scored 17 of the final 19 points scored in the first half to reel UNO (3-6) in after the guests built a 13-point advantage with 7:12 left in the opening half.
Lovell Cook scored a season-high 22 points for the Privateers, two shy of his career-high.
Corey Blake and
Rarlensee Nelson added 13 and 11 points, respectively. Blake's seven steals in the contest were a new career-high mark and just two shy of the school-record.
UNO struggled out of the gate, missing its first five shots while committing three turnovers to allow the Salukis to build an 8-0 lead.
The Privateers ended the spurt when Cook connected on a field goal at 16:25 mark, which ignited a 12-0 run, capped by a
Cory Dixon tip-in with 13:32 left in the opening half. SIU had their own struggles during the stretch, going without a field goal for 6:02 of clock while UNO made 8 of 10 field goals to open up a 20-11 lead.
The advantage grew to a first half high of 13 points at 26-13 with 7:12 left on the clock on a Cook jumper before the Salukis had the final run of the opening half. SIU went on a 17-2 run, holding the Privateers without a basket through the intermission.
The Salukis went into the break ahead 30-28, scoring the go-ahead field goal with 2.7 remaining before halftime.
In the second half, early fouls charged against the Privateers enabled the hosts to reach the bonus before six minutes had passed. SIU capitalized on the appearances at the free throw line, turning a four-point lead with 15:37 remaining to a 12-point edge at 51-39 with 11:41 to go.
UNO refused to go away, pulling within 60-52 on a
Tradarrius McPhearson three-pointer with 6:03 left.
The Privateers cut the deficit to five on multiple occasions in the final four minutes, the last coming on a Nelson three-point play with 1:39 left. The five points would be the closest the guests would get in their quest to overcome the Salukis on the night.
UNO will continue its swing through the Midwest on Wednesday at Southeast Missouri State. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Show Me Center in a game that will be broadcast for free on the Ohio Valley Conference Digital Network.
NOTES
Corey Blake tied his career-high of four steals with 11:03 remaining in the first half. Blake established a new career-best mark with his fifth steal at the 15:08 mark of the second half and finished with seven for the game, two shy of the school-record.
Ranked as the No. 22 in the NCAA Division I with a 59.7 percent field goal shooting clip,
Lovell Cook found success on Monday, making 9 of 11 shots from the field.
After shooting a season-low 41.4 percent (12 of 29) from the charity stripe last Wednesday against Nicholls State, UNO made 14 of 18 attempts for a 77.8 percent clip on Monday. The Privateers were 8 of 10 from the line in the first half.
