Marcus Arnold led Illinois State with 18 points, but a 16-2 Southern Illinois run in the second half propelled the Salukis to a 71-58 Missouri Valley Conference victory Wednesday night at Redbird Arena in front of 7,124 fans.
In a fast-paced first half the two teams exchanged baskets forcing six ties and four lead changes. Southern Illinois (13-2, 7-0) led at the intermission 30-29, following a Darren Brooks basket with just 39 ticks on the clock. Illinois State's (5-10, 1-6) Neil Plank collected seven of his game-high 11 rebounds in the first frame.
Southern Illinois went on a 16-2 run early in the second half, with ten of those points coming off Illinois State turnovers. Najeeb Echols finally snapped the streak, sinking a layup at 6:41 to bring the score to 52-44. The SIU bench helped secure the win for the squad as the reserves outscored the Redbirds 23-14.
Arnold was the leading scorer for the Redbirds posting 18 points on the night and connecting on eight of nine free throws. Trey Guidry also turned in a 12-point performance before fouling out in the final minute. Vince Greene chalked up 10 points, including two three-point field goals. Brooks led the way for the Salukis, pouring in 20 points 13 of which came in the first half. Stetson Hairston scored 16 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for SIU.
The Redbirds return to action Saturday when they travel to Omaha, Neb., to take on the No. 24 Creighton Bluejays at 7:05 p.m.
