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| Jeff Early led the way for SIU, netting 23 and 15 in SIU's championship win |
After going 10-14 in conference play, the Southern Illinois Salukis were able to pull off an improbable run in the inaugural ILLHoops Tournament. This run included knocking off #1 seed Illinois State and trouncing their First Round opponent, #9 UIC. Now they can add a 66-60 victory in hostile territory to the story of this crazy run. Now they are champions.
The win was led by senior guard Jeff Early, who scored 23 points and 15 rebounds and was named Big Prairie Conference Tourney MVP. DePaul's struggles at the guard position made Early unstoppable as no Blue Demon point was able to check him as he rained shots from all over and controlled the boards. Desmar Jackson also had 10 points despite going 3-11 from the field, and Jalen Pendleton contributed 10 off the bench.
DePaul's effort was a strong run, as the trio of Melvin-Young-Crockett willed their team in this tight game. Crockett had 15, Young had 14, and Melvin had 11 points and 8 rebounds. But in the end, it wasn't enough to control Jeff Early and his dominance.
For Southern Illinois, this championship earns them an automatic bid in the 2013 Coliseum Invitational. Their seeding will be determined in the coming days.
Until then, the Salukis can relax and celebrate the win. After a rough start in conference play, SIU has powered through and they are now ILLHoops champions.
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