SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) Tamarr Maclin scored 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead Southwest Missouri State to a 92-77 win over Southern Illinois on Wednesday.
After leading 43-29 at halftime, Southwest Missouri (9-8, 3-6 Missouri Valley Conference) opened the second half with an 11-4 run to go up 54-43 with 15:30 left. Blake Ahearn hit a 3-pointer and followed that with a three-point play to give the Bears a 67-50 lead with 11:10 left.
Southern Illinois (15-5, 6-2) went five minutes without scoring as Southwest Missouri raced to a 73-50 lead with eight minutes left. The Salukis then went on a 10-0 run to cut the margin to 73-60 with 5:11 left but couldn't get any closer.
Southwest Missouri shot 57 percent (35-of-61) from the field, while holding Southern Illinois to just 38 percent (28-of-73) from the floor. The Bears outrebounded the Salukis 43-35.
Maclin, who was 6-of-7 from the floor and 4-of-6 from the free-throw line, led five of his teammates in double-digit scoring. Ahearn came off the bench for Southwest Missouri to score 15 points, Devin Mitchell had 14, Tyler Chaney had 12, Nathan Bilyeu had 11, and Deke Thompson added 10.
Jamaal Tatum led Southern Illinois with 24 points. Darren Brooks scored 20 and Matt Shaw added 12.
