ISU Sycamores lose regular season finale to Salukis, 60-52

TERRE HAUTE, IN (2-28-2005) – The Sycamores received a valiant effort from two seniors in their final home game against Southern Illinois, the MVC regular season champion, but in the end the Salukis made the plays down the stretch to earn a 60-52 victory in front of 4,046 at the Hulman Center Monday (Feb. 28) night. SIU, who had already clinched its fourth straight MVC title entering the game, improve to 25-6 (15-3 MVC), while the Sycamores fall to 10-19 (5-13 MVC).

Indiana State was down by as many as nine in the second half, before making a run on three different occasions to cut the lead to one, but were never able to take the lead. With 1:27 remaining, Jerod Adler missed the front end of a one-and-one which would have tied the game, and SIU responded with a three-pointer by Tony Young to take control. SIU finished off the game by hitting six straight free throws to seal the victory.

Amani Daanish led the Sycamores with 16 points in his final game in front of the ISU fans. The Los Angeles, Calif. native finished the game shooting 7-of-11 from the field and added seven rebounds. Eric Gray added 13 points for the Sycamores, while Jerod Adler pitched in seven points, five rebounds, and five assists for ISU.

Darren Brooks led all scorers with 22 points, all while missing just two shots (8-of-10). In addition to Brooks, Jamaal Tatum added 11 for the Salukis. Tatum shot 3-of-10 from the field and was a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Three SIU players each pitched in five points, while two Salukis added four in the winning effort.

Indiana State finished the game 21-of-47 shooting (.447), while the visiting Salukis shot 46.7 percent (21-of-45) from the floor. The Sycamores outscored Southern 22-18 in the paint, while the Salukis' bench outdueled ISU's 16-9.

Indiana State begins play in the 2005 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on Friday (March 4) with a game against the Bradley Braves. ISU enters the tournament as the ninth seed, while Bradley holds the eighth seed. Tip-off between the Sycamores and Braves is set for 6:00 p.m. CST at Savvis Center in St. Louis, MO.

USA-365.com provides live Internet audio streaming with Brian Fritz providing the play-by-play and Jim Waugh with the color commentary. The pre-game show starts Friday, March 4 at 5:40 p.m., CST (6:40 p.m., EST) with the tip-off set for 6:00 p.m., CST (7:00 p.m., EST) on www.USA-365.com.

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