Early’s late steal, free throw clinch win for Southern Ill.
CARBONDALE – Jeff Early stole the ball and sank a free throw with 2 seconds left, sending Southern Illinois to a 53-52 victory over Evansville on Saturday.
Early led the Salukis (8-16, 5-8 Missouri Valley) with 14 points. Dantiel Daniels scored 11 points and blocked five shots, while Mamadou Seck had 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Colt Ryan scored 12 points and Kenny Harris 10 for the Purple Aces (11-12, 6-7).
Bowling Green 65, Northern Illinois 40: At Bowling Green, Ohio, Jordon Crawford scored 15 points and Bowling Green used a big first half to rout Northern Illinois.
Bowling Green got off to an 18-1 start on its way to a 41-16 halftime lead. The Falcons were never threatened in the second half as the lead remained above 16 points.
Oakland, Mich., 74, Western Illinois 70 (2OT): At Macomb, Reggie Hamilton hit nine three-pointers and scored 40 points as Oakland, Mich., defeated Western Illinois in double overtime.
Travis Bader scored 19 and Drew Valentine 10 as the Golden Grizzlies won for the 11th consecutive time at Western Illinois.
Illinois State 78, Bradley 48: At Normal, Tyler Brown scored 21 points and Illinois State rolled past Bradley.
The Redbirds (15-9, 7-6 Missouri Valley) never trailed, raced to a 43-21 halftime lead and didn’t let up, beginning the second half with a 9-0 run.
NJIT 73, Chicago State 64: At Chicago, Isaiah Wilkerson scored a career-high 26 points to lead NJIT.
Morehead State 56, Eastern Illinois 55: At Charleston, Angelo Warner sank a free throw with 2 seconds left to give Morehead State a victory against Eastern Illinois.
