Darren Brooks had 17 points and 11 rebounds in Southern's loss at Wichita Saturday.

Jan. 22, 2005

By Tom Weber
www.SIUSalukis.com

Box Score

WICHITA, Kan. - Southern Illinois lost a Missouri Valley Conference regular-season game for just the fourth time in the last three seasons, falling to Wichita State Saturday, 58-56.

Kyle Wilson hit the winning baseline jumper for the Shockers with 29 seconds left. The Salukis had a chance to tie or take the lead, but Darren Brooks' in-bounds pass under the basket with six seconds left went awry, and SIU could not get off a final shot.

The win pulled the Shockers (12-3, 6-1) into a first place tie with the Salukis (15-4, 6-1). The teams will have a rematch at Southern on Feb. 26, in a game that could decide the conference title.

Jamaal Tatum poured in a career-high 21 points for Southern in a game that featured big runs by both teams. SIU led by as many as nine points in the first half before settling for a 27-21 halftime advantage.

However, Wichita opened the second half with a 10-0 run and built its biggest lead, 49-41, on a basket by Randy Burns.

SIU responded with a run of its own that included a pair of 3-point bombs by Tatum. The Salukis tied the game, 56-56, on a pair of free throws by Matt Shaw with 1:30 to go. SIU had the ball and a chance to take the lead with under a minute, but three shots near the basket would not fall.