Feb. 22, 2003

Box Score

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Stetson Hairston tipped in a missed shot as time expired to give Southern Illinois a 66-64 win over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Saturday afternoon in front of a national-television audience and 8,241 fans at the SIU Arena as part of ESPN's Bracket Buster Saturday.

The tip-in spoiled an impressive comeback by the Panthers (21-6), who overcame a 16-point second-half deficit to claim a 64-62 lead on a Justin Lettenberger follow-up basket with 2:19 remaining.

But UWM would not score again, as SIU tied the game on a runner by Kent Williams in the lane with 1:48 remaining. Then, after a handful of empty possession by both teams, a Clay Tucker three rolled out and the rebound went out of bounds with 12 seconds remaining.

SIU's Darren Brooks then pushed the ball upcourt and missed a shot with just seconds remaining before Hairston's tip-in won the game.

Southern Illinois (19-5) has now won 25-straight games at home, the fourth-longest home winning streak in the nation. UWM saw its eight-game winning streak snapped.

Lettenberger had 14 points and nine rebounds off the bench to lead the Panthers, who also got 11 points from Dylan Page and Ronnie Jones and 10 from Tucker. Williams had 18 and Jermaine Dearman 12 to lead the Salukis.

SIU's lead hit 47-31 with 17:00 remaining in the game following a Brooks hoop, but UWM quickly rallied to within 50-44 on a Page layin with 12:29 remaining. The Panthers then tied the game at 52 on a Jones runner with 8:36 remaining and the game then stayed tight down the stretch.

"A lot of teams would have folded under the circumstances," UWM head coach Bruce Pearl said. "I think we showed a lot of character and we put ourselves in position to win the game. I'm disappointed in the loss but I'm not disappointed in the effort of my team."

The Panthers' second-half surge stunned the energetic crowd and was accomplished thanks to strong work on the defensive end and work on the boards. UWM limited SIU to just 37.9 percent shooting in the second half while outrebounding the Salukies, 40-29, including 14-7 on the offensive end. But it was an offensive rebound that did in the Panthers.

"We had done a good job," Pearl said. "I think we battled on the boards. That's a tough way to lose."

UWM also got great contributions from its bench, which tallied 20 points and 14 rebounds.

""I'm very proud of my bench," Pearl said. "Dan Weisse and Justin Lettenberger played very well. They were a couple of seniors I had a lot of confidence in down the stretch."

The Panthers started fast but could not sustain their early momentum. A Tucker basket two minutes in made it 8-2 UWM and a Page layin a minute later gave the Panthers a 12-5 lead with 16:49 remaining in the first half.

SIU then embarked on a 9-0 run to grab their first lead of the game. A three by Williams made it 14-12 Salukis with 12:46 remaining in the half and then led 17-15 after Williams hit three free throws. The Panthers tied the game for a final time at 23 on a Tucker hoop.

But SIU took control from there. A Brooks follow-up basket gave the Salukis a 32-25 lead with 3:53 remaining and the lead hit 36-27 on a Bryan Turner hoop with 1:30 remaining. The advantage eventually hit 41-27 before a Lettenberger basket brought the Panthers within 41-29 at the half.

UWM returns to Horizon League play Thursday night, visiting Wright State in a 6 p.m. CT contest. The regular season wraps up next Saturday with a 1 p.m. CT contest at Butler in which the regular season Horizon League championship is likely to be decided. Then, following first round contests on campus sites Tuesday, March 4, UWM will host the second round and the semifinals of the Horizon League Championship March 7-8 at the U.S. Cellular Arena. The championship game is March 11 and would be at the U.S. Cellular Arena if the Panthers should advance.