2 Injuries & 2 Overtimes in Missouri Valley Play

(St. Louis, MO) – Two Missouri Valley teams went into action Wednesday without key players and two of the five league games went into overtime. Wednesday night was eventful for all kinds of reasons. At the preseason media day, coaches all commented about how balanced and unpredictable the league would be behind Wichita State and Wednesday confirmed that suspicion.

The Injuries

One may be more serious than the other. Southern Illinois’ leading scorer Armon Fletcher is out with a sprained foot, and the Saluki medical staff isn’t sure when the sophomore will return to action. Prior to the game, head coach Barry Hinson told me his team is very thin at the guard position.

 

 

Despite the loss of their top offensive player, the Salukis came up with an overtime win against snake-bitten Indiana State. Forward Sean O’Brien more than took up the scoring load recording a 28-point & 14 rebound double-double, as SIU (9-7, 2-1) received Fletcher’s typical 14 points from his replacement, Sean Lloyd.

Missouri State wasn’t quite as fortunate. With their second leading scorer on the bench with a foot injury of his own, the Bears dropped a 74-71 overtime decision to Illinois State. Ronnie Rousseau, the team’s second leading scorer (11.6 ppg) sat out the game with an ankle injury. His prognosis for return seems better than Fletcher’s. The Salukis have already lost Tyler Smithpeters for the rest of the year with an injury.

The Overtimes

Ironically the two injured players’ teams were involved in the overtimes.

Indiana State (6-9, 0-3) just doesn’t play in ‘laughers’. Ten of the Sycamores 15 games have been decided by six points or less, and Greg Lansing’s team has come out on top four times. This was their fifth overtime game this season and they’ve won two of those. In this game they were victimized by O’Brien’s heroic efforts and by their inability to rebound. They were crushed on the boards by a 50 to 36 margin.

Earlier this week, Lansing told me they have to get better in that department.

 

 

In a battle of two teams that opened the Valley season with a pair of wins, Illinois State (11-4, 3-0) came out on top behind the stellar inside play of MiKyle McIntosh (21 points) and Deontae Hawkins (20 points), despite the barrage of three-pointers (14 of them) from Missouri State (11-5, 2-1).

MSU’s Jarrid Rhodes scored a career high 19 points, making five triples of his own.

Other winners Wednesday night were Wichita State and Loyola taking care of business at home and Bradley stealing a road victory at Evansville.

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